Category Archives: Chocolate

Cocoa Polyphenols and Their Effect on Mood

Cocoa is a rich source of a group of flavonoids called proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidins may have particular physical and mental health effects. In terms of the latter, consumption of proanthocyanidins is associated with improvements in mood state. For example, in one … Continue reading

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Dark Chocolate As A Mood Enhancer?

Dark chocolate is considered a healthy food. This relates to the high concentration of flavonoid phytochemicals it contains, in addition to its lower sugar content compared to milk and white chocolate. The flavonoids in chocolate are derived from the cocoa … Continue reading

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The Beneficial Effects of Chocolate

Chocolate is a confectionery food, most commonly made with cocoa and sugar. The sugar to cocoa ratio is pivotal in determining whether chocolate is a healthy food or not. For example, milk chocolate has a high sugar content and a … Continue reading

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Phytocannabinoids

Phytocannabinoids are a group of chemicals that are most often associated with the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa). The main phytocannabinoid in cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), although the plant actually contains over 100 phytocannabinoids. Studies suggest that THC is mainly responsible … Continue reading

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Do People Lie About Their Sugar Intakes?

Sugar is a known obesogenic food and mechanisms have been investigated to explain this process. In short, sugar is able to enter hepatic (liver) pathways that stimulate the formation of fatty acids, and these fatty acids accumulate in tissues and … Continue reading

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Chocolate / Cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

Phytochemistry: Chocolate / Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) contains a group of phytochemicals called N-acylethanolamines (NAEs). These can include N-linoleoyl ethanolamide, N-oleoylethanolamide and palmitoyl ethanolamide (PEA). These phytochemicals inhibit the breakdown of natural cannabinoid chemicals in the brain by inhibiting an enzyme … Continue reading

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More Evidence That Chocolate May Be Good For You

Plant rich diets may be beneficial because of the phytochemical nutrients they contain. Flavonoids are a group of phytochemicals that includes the flavonols, flavan-3-ols (also called catechins), flavones, flavanones, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins. Flavonoids have been shown to possess health benefits … Continue reading

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Is Chocolate a Weight Loss Food?

The flavan-3-ols are a subgroup of flavonoids. The flavan-3-ols are found as monomeric units in green tea mainly as catechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin gallate. In black tea the main flavan-3-ols are theaflavins and thearubigins. The monomeric flavan-3-ols are … Continue reading

Posted in Antioxidant, Black Tea, Catechin, Chocolate, Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), Endothelial Dysfunction, Flavan-3-ols, Flavonoids, Green Tea, Insulin Resistance, Oxidative Stress, Tea | Comments Off on Is Chocolate a Weight Loss Food?

Flavan-3-ols And Insulin Resistance

Flavan-3-ols are a subgroup of flavonoids. Flavan-3-ols are sometimes called catechins as they include the chemicals catechin and epicatechin and their gallate conjugates. Flavan-3-ols are found in high concentrations in tea as monomeric units, and their presence may explain the … Continue reading

Posted in Antioxidant, Blood Pressure, Catechin, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), Flavan-3-ols, Flavonoids, Green Tea, Insulin Resistance, Tea | Comments Off on Flavan-3-ols And Insulin Resistance

Cocoa Improves Insulin Resistance

The phytochemicals in cocoa have been characterised and investigated. A number of these phytochemicals appear to have antioxidant effects and are bioavailable in humans. In particular cocoa is rich in a group of flavonoids called proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidins belong to the … Continue reading

Posted in Antioxidant, Blood Pressure, Chocolate, Cocoa (Theobroma cacao), Flavan-3-ols, Insulin Resistance, Proanthocyanidins | Comments Off on Cocoa Improves Insulin Resistance