Chocolate In Health And Nutrition

Chocolate in Health and Nutrition represents the first comprehensive compilation of the newest data on the actions of the flavonoids and microorganisms associated with the beneficial effects of chocolate. This unique text provides practical, data-driven resources based upon the totality of the evidence to help the reader understand the basics, treatments and preventive strategies that are involved in the understanding of the role chocolate may play in healthy individuals as well as those with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or neurocognitive declines. Of equal importance, critical issues that involve patient concerns, such as dental caries and food preferences in children, potential effects on weight gain, addiction and withdrawal are included in well-referenced, informative chapters. The latest research on the role of chocolate in normal health areas including mood, pain and weight management, cardiovascular disease and related conditions are presented. Chocolate in Health and Nutrition provides health professionals in many areas of research and practice with the most up-to-date, well referenced and comprehensive volume on the current state of the science and medical uses of chocolate.

Chocolate in Health and Nutrition represents the first comprehensive compilation of the newest data on the actions of the flavonoids and microorganisms associated with the beneficial effects of chocolate. This unique text provides practical, data-driven resources based upon the totality of the evidence to help the reader understand the basics, treatments and preventive strategies that are involved in the understanding of the role chocolate may play in healthy individuals as well as those with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or neurocognitive declines. Of equal importance, critical issues that involve patient concerns, such as dental caries and food preferences in children, potential effects on weight gain, addiction and withdrawal are included in well-referenced, informative chapters. The latest research on the role of chocolate in normal health areas including mood, pain and weight management, cardiovascular disease and related conditions are presented. Chocolate in Health and Nutrition provides health professionals in many areas of research and practice with the most up-to-date, well referenced and comprehensive volume on the current state of the science and medical uses of chocolate.

Following on from their previous volume on Chocolate as Medicine, Philip K. Wilson and W. Jeffrey Hurst edit this companion volume, Chocolate and Health, providing a comprehensive overview of the chemistry, nutrition and bioavailability of cacao and chocolate. The book begins with a brief historical introduction to the topic, outlining the current and historical medical uses of chocolate and chocolate derivatives. The remainder of the text is arranged into three sections, taking the reader through various aspects of the nutritional and health aspects of cacoa. The first section covers the cultivation, chemistry and genome analysis of cacao. The second section discusses the biochemistry and nutritional components of cacao in relation to health, covering bioavailabilty and the metabolism and metabolomics of cacao. The final section provides an overview of the potential use of chocolate in health and medical care. Each section is written and prepared by experts within each field, providing a global perspective of the current and ongoing research in this area. This text provides the reader with a complete overview of the field and is of interest to food and biomedical scientists, as well as nutritionists, medicinal chemists and anyone with an interest in chocolate.

The Mesoamerican population who lived near the indigenous cultivation sites of the "Chocolate Tree" (Theobromo cacao) had a multitude of documented applications of chocolate as medicine, ranging from alleviating fatigue to preventing heart ailments to treating snakebite. Until recently, these applications have received little sound scientific scrutiny. Rather, it has been the reputed health claims stemming from Europe and the United States which have attracted considerable biomedical attention. This book, for the first time, describes the centuries-long quest to uncover chocolate's potential health benefits. The authors explore variations in the types of evidence used to support chocolate's use as medicine as well as note the ongoing tension over categorizing chocolate as food or medicine, and more recently, as functional food or nutraceutical. The authors, Wilson an historian of science and medicine, and Hurst an analytical chemist in the chocolate industry, bring their collective insights to bear upon the development of ideas and practices surrounding the use of chocolate as medicine. Chocolate's use in this manner is explored first among the Mesoamerican peoples, then as it is transported to Europe, and back into Colonial North America. The authors then focus upon more recent bioscience experimental undertakings which have been aimed to ascertain both long-standing and novel suggestions as to chocolate's efficacy as a medicinal and a nutritional substance. Chocolate/s reputation as the most craved food boosts this book's appeal to food and biomedical scientists, cacao researchers, ethnobotanists, historians, folklorists, and healers of all types as well as to the general reading audience.

Following on from their previous volume on Chocolate as Medicine, Philip K. Wilson and W. Jeffrey Hurst edit this companion volume, Chocolate and Health, providing a comprehensive overview of the chemistry, nutrition and bioavailability of cacao and chocolate. The book begins with a brief historical introduction to the topic, outlining the current and historical medical uses of chocolate and chocolate derivatives. The remainder of the text is arranged into three sections, taking the reader through various aspects of the nutritional and health aspects of cacoa. The first section covers the cultivation, chemistry and genome analysis of cacao. The second section discusses the biochemistry and nutritional components of cacao in relation to health, covering bioavailabilty and the metabolism and metabolomics of cacao. The final section provides an overview of the potential use of chocolate in health and medical care. Each section is written and prepared by experts within each field, providing a global perspective of the current and ongoing research in this area. This text provides the reader with a complete overview of the field and is of interest to food and biomedical scientists, as well as nutritionists, medicinal chemists and anyone with an interest in chocolate.

This book entitled “Cocoa, Chocolate, and Human Health” presents the most recent findings about cocoa and health in 14 peer-reviewed chapters including nine original contributions and five reviews from cocoa experts around the world. Bioavailability and metabolism of the main cocoa polyphenols, i.e., the flavanols like epicatechin, are presented including metabolites like valerolactones that are formed by the gut microbiome. Many studies, including intervention studies or epidemiological observations, do not focus on single compounds, but on cocoa as a whole. This proves the effectiveness of cocoa as a functional food. A positive influence of cocoa on hearing problems, exercise performance, and metabolic syndrome is discussed with mixed results; the results about exercise performance are contradictive. Evidence shows that cocoa flavanols may modulate some risk factors related to metabolic syndrome such as hypertension and disorders in glucose and lipid metabolism. However, several cardiometabolic parameters in type 2 diabetics were not affected by a flavanol-rich cocoa powder as simultaneous treatment with pharmaceuticals might have negated the effect of cocoa. The putative health-promoting components of cocoa are altered during processing like fermentation, drying, and roasting of cocoa beans. Chocolate, the most popular cocoa product, shows remarkable losses in polyphenols and vitamin E during 18 months of storage.

An updated edition to a classic book about the amazing benefits of everyone's favorite food: Chocolate! Dark chocolate sales are on the rise as people embrace the concept that chocolate can truly be good for them. But how do they know what to eat, how much, and which kinds are the best? The Chocolate Therapist answers these questions and more. This book has everything a person needs to know to select the best chocolate for health. Both informative and entertaining, it includes alphabetized ailments, each with a chocolate recommendation, followed by supporting research as to how and why it helps the body. The Chocolate Therapist also includes a collection of chocolate necessities: Wine & chocolate pairing section with over 40 wines and three chocolate pairings for each wine. Wine aroma and chocolate flavor wheels to help readers discovers new flavors and combinations in both the wines and the chocolates. The Chocolate Bible: A unique compilation of websites, chocolate companies, international brands and research sites. A""Where Do You Hide Your Chocolate"" section, a laugh-out-loud chapter for anyone who has ever hidden a piece of chocolate Over 60 alphabetized ailments from Alzheimer's to Weight Loss The Chocolate Therapist helps readers discover what author Julie Nygard has known for years. The only difference between guilt-ridden and guilt-free chocolate enjoyment is simply education, and this book has it all!

Cocoa and chocolate are the subjects of much research in the fields of food chemistry, food technology, and health science. We now know that cocoa contains a remarkable number of bioactive compounds, and these are being tested in humans to verify their disease prevention characteristics. This state of the art text thoroughly explores the different aspects of the relationship between chocolate and health. After introductory discussion of the historical background, careful attention is devoted to technological developments designed to improve the health-giving qualities of chocolate and biochemical and clinical trials of cocoa and its components. Various health impacts of cocoa and chocolate are thoroughly evaluated, including acute vascular effects and effects on blood pressure, blood lipids, and platelets. Psychological drivers of chocolate consumption and craving are also considered. Readers will find this book to be a rich source of essential information on cocoa and chocolate, their purported health-giving qualities, and the advances that are being made in this area.