The notion that eating chocolate would prevent or treat hypertension is appealing to many who produce and enjoy chocolate. Several studies have documented beneficial effects of dark chocolate on insulin action and endothelial function. However, the published studies on chocolate and blood pressure include a relatively small number of subjects, and results are conflicting. In addition, because o...

The randomized controlled trial is the "gold standard" for evaluating the benefits and harms of interventions. The Chocolate Happiness Undergoing More Pleasantness (CHUMP) study was designed to compare the effects of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and normal chocolate consumption on happiness. Although the intention-to-treat analysis showed that participants who received either dark or milk cho...

Earlier research has demonstrated that food-specific inhibition training wherein food cues are repeatedly and consistently mapped onto stop signals decreases food intake and bodyweight. The mechanisms underlying these training effects, however, remain unclear. It has been suggested that consistently pairing stimuli with stop signals induces automatic stop associations with those stimuli, thereb...

fungal diseases, chocolate spot (botrytis fabae sard) is the most destructive diseases of faba bean and causes considerable dramatic damage losses on faba bean yield worldwide. the levels of resistance to chocolate spot were evaluated in 35 faba bean cultivars and one susceptible check (ilb365) and local check (barkat) at the gorgan agricultural research station during the 2010 and 2011 croppin...

The consumption of high-cacao-content chocolate has been associated with positive health benefits ascribed to flavanol [corrected] antioxidants derived from the ground, fermented cocoa seeds of Theobroma cacao. However, flavanols [corrected] impart a bitter, astringent flavor to foodstuffs, frequently masked in chocolates and confections by aggressive processing and adulteration with other flav...

BACKGROUND Chocolate contains several biologically active components potentially having behavioral and psychological consequences. AIMS We tested whether chocolate consumption and stress experiences during pregnancy predict mother-rated infant temperament at 6 months. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS Prenatal frequency of chocolate consumption and intensity of psychological stress experience of the moth...

The medicinal use of chocolate has a long history in North America dating back to the 16th century. From Mesoamerican Codices and European Treatises scholars have determined that for hundreds of years the beverage called chocolate was administered to the sick and prescribed homeopathically to prevent illness. Yet, little scholarship exists that focuses on medicinal chocolate usage in early Nort...

background one of the most important factors in inducing the logarithmic growth of streptococcus mutans, is a diet containing fermentable carbohydrates such as sucrose. objectives: the aim of the current research was to compare the ability of ordinary and probiotic chocolate to induce or inhibit the growth of s. mutans. materials and methods lactobacillus rhamnosus, l. plantarum and l. acidophi...

Chocolate today is often viewed as a food or snack with little nutritional value. The high saturated fat content of chocolate has also contributed to the belief that its consumption increases the risk of heart disease. However, recent human studies have proven that chocolate has beneficial effects on some pathogenic mechanisms of heart disease such as endothelial function and blood pressure. Al...