Review Article
Cocoa and health: a decade of research
Karen A. Cooper1, Jennifer L. Donovan2, Andrew L. Waterhouse3 and Gary Williamson1* 1Nestle´ Research Center, Vers-Chez-les-Blanc, PO Box 44, CH-1000 Lausanne 26, Switzerland 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA 3Department of Viticulture & Enology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA (Received 5 December 2006 – Revised 29 May 2007 – Accepted 31 May 2007)
It has been over 10 years since the first mention in a medical journal about cocoa and chocolate as potential sources of antioxidants for health.
During this time, cocoa has been found to improve antioxidant status, reduce inflammation and correlate with reduced heart disease risk; with these results, and its popularity, it has received wide coverage in the press
However, after 10 years of research, what is known about the potential health benefits of cocoa and what are the important next steps in understanding this decadent source of antioxidants?
Cocoa: Chocolate: Health: Polyphenols: Antioxident