BACKGROUND Previous studies reported beneficial effects of cocoa or chocolate on insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and inflammation, which are important risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). However, it is unclear whether chocolate consumption is associated with risk of DM. OBJECTIVE We tested the hypothesis that chocolate consumption is inversely associated with incident DM in t...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of chocolate consumption with the risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies. DATA SOURCES Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, IPA, Web of Science, Scopus, Pascal, reference lists of relevant studies to October 2010, and email contact w...

Intuitively, to break up a big chocolate bar, we need one split to make two pieces, and then we can break up the two pieces recursively. This suggests a proof using strong induction on the size of the chocolate bar, where size is measured in chocolate squares. Now instead of a problem involving two variables (the two dimensions), we have a problem in one variable (the size). With this simplific...

The present study compared the relative effectiveness of simple, commercially available food and non-food olfactory tasks on chocolate craving reduction. Chocolate cravings were induced by a series of coloured photographs and 67 undergraduate women were asked to smell one of three odours (green apple, jasmine, or water). The non-food odorant (jasmine) significantly reduced chocolate cravings re...

Chocolate storage is critical to final product quality. Inadequate storage, especially with temperature fluctuations, may lead to rearrangement of triglycerides that make up the bulk of the chocolate matrix; this rearrangement may lead to fat bloom. Bloom is the main cause of quality loss in the chocolate industry. The effect of storage conditions leading to bloom formation on texture and flavo...

The problem of Salmonella contamination in dried foods has underscored our lack of knowledge concerning the heat resistance of enteric microorganisms in dry and semidry environments. Confectionery manufacturing is one of the food industries concerned with dry-heat destruction of Salmonella. The discovery of these organisms in several chocolate-containing products in the recent past has raised t...

BACKGROUND Studies suggest cardioprotective benefits of dark chocolate containing cocoa. OBJECTIVE This study examines the acute effects of solid dark chocolate and liquid cocoa intake on endothelial function and blood pressure in overweight adults. DESIGN Randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind crossover trial of 45 healthy adults [mean age: 53 y; mean body mass index (in kg/m(2)): 30...