Cocoa, Chocolate and Human Health

• Main Author: Ellinger, Sabine (auth)
• Other Authors: Zimmermann, Benno (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2020
• Subjects: Biology, life sciences; n/a; lipids; theobromine; colonic bacteria; ?-glucosidase inhibition; cacao; tinnitus; antioxidant capacity; metabolomics; methylxanthines; lipid status; physical exercise; skeletal muscle; functional volatile compounds; soluble cocoa products; blood pressure; flavanols; functional food; classification; monitoring; cocoa; yeast; quality; flavanols bioavailability; fermentation; cocoa processing; hearing loss; Italian chocolate; chocolate; (?)-catechin; extraction and characterization methods; heath potentials; CREB; inflammation; flavanol-rich cocoa; behavior; (?)-epicatechin; BDNF; plasma appearance; flavan-3-ol stereoisomers; fermentation-related enzymes; angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity; type 2 diabetes; CaMKII; exercise performance; anti-inflammatory properties; (+)-catechin; bioactive compounds; chiral separation; plasma; oxidative stress; antidiabetic capacity; polyphenols; oligopeptides; urine; protein-phenol interactions; postprandial; working memory; procyanidins; simulated gastrointestinal digestion; cocoa-based ingredients; one-compartment model; cocoa beans; athlete; biomarkers; polyphenol; metabolic syndrome; nutrition; bioavailability; roasting; glucose metabolism; cohort study; plasma nutrikinetics; pharmacokinetics; human; cocoa proteins; metabolites; cocoa by-product; meal; bioactive peptides; performance; liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionisation and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QToF-MS); starter culture
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

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.