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Chocolate and Health
Indice
iii
Rodolfo Paoletti • Andrea Poli • Ario Conti • Francesco Visioli
(Editors)
Chocolate and Health
Principles and Practice
Nuova edizione italiana a cura di
Francesco Tomaiuolo
Carlo Caltagirone
Michael Petrides
iv
Indice
Editors
Ario Conti
Alpine Foundation for Life Sciences
Olivone, Ticino, Switzerland
Rodolfo Paoletti
Nutrition Foundation of Italy
Milan, Italy
Andrea Poli
Nutrition Foundation of Italy
Milan, Italy
Francesco Visioli
Laboratory of Functional Foods, IMDEA-Food
Madrid, Spain
ISBN 978-88-470-2037-5
DOI 10.1007/978-88-470-2038-2
ISBN 978-88-470-2038-2 (eBook)
Springer Milan Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011929634
© Springer-Verlag Italia 2012
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ecution under the Italian Copyright Law.
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imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant pro-
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Product liability: The publishers cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information about dosage and
application contained in this book. In every individual case the user must check such information by
consulting the relevant literature.
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Typesetting: C & G di Cerri e Galassi, Cremona, Italy
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Printed in Italy
Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l., Via Decembrio 28, I-20137 Milan
Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
2012 2013 2014
Preface
Cocoa and chocolate are consumed throughout the world, as they provide instant enjoy-
ment and pleasure. Chocolate is one of the most popular examples of foods consumed dur-
ing comfort eating.
Due to the high polyphenol content of cocoa, coupled with its widespread presence in
many food items, this food is now of particular interest from the nutritional and “phar-
macological” viewpoints. Indeed, the number of publications concerning cocoa and
chocolate is increasing steadily. As an example, more than 1,300 publications regarding
“cocoa” or “chocolate” have been added to the PubMed database during the last 5 years;
this is an increase of about 60% on the previous 5 years. Of such publications, an increasing
proportion concerns the effects of polyphenols and, in particular, flavonoids on human bi-
ology and health. Finally, we witness an increasing number of patents covering industri-
al processes that aim at maintaining the highest possible amount of polyphenols in cocoa.
Cocoa and chocolate, on the other hand, are also correctly viewed as highly caloric foods
and their use if often restricted by primary care physicians and dieticians, especially when
weight loss is needed.
This book provides a state-of-the-art discussion on cocoa and chocolate, covering the
multiple facets of their production, consumption and biological activities. The authors pro-
vide in-depth analyses of the manifold aspects of these foods. Notably, this book covers
all aspects of the biological activities of cocoa, with particular reference to the cardio-
vascular system (which attracts the majority of research) and to patterns of consumption.
The effects of cocoa and chocolate on the cardiovascular system are complex and com-
prise the control of risk factors (such as elevated blood pressure) or more basic effects
such as stabilization of nitric oxide, a molecule whose activity is crucial in cardiovascu-
lar physiology. Notably, the effects of chocolate on plasma lipid levels (to which a spe-
cific chapter of this book is dedicated, Chapter 10) appear to be much less noticeable than
what is usually perceived.
Moreover, it is now clear that cocoa and chocolate do not contain addictive substances
in amounts high enough to cause cravings. Indeed, cravings are the result of an unhealthy
relationship with the food, resulting from attributions displayed in newspaper and maga-
zine headlines such as “chocolate is addictive”, but the alleged craved-for chemicals are
merely myths.
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