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Symposium Introduction
Chocolate as Medicine William Jeffrey Hurst J. Agric. Food Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b04057 • Publication Date (Web): 30 Oct 2015 Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on November 1, 2015
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Chocolate as Medicine
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To borrow a phrase from the marketing lexicon, “Chocolate is hot”, while not scientifically validated, a
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review of several available sources indicated that publications and interest chocolates health benefits
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continuing to spiral upward. For example, several years ago, a Cocoa and Chocolate symposium was
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held at an annual ACS meeting 2. Cocoa the base of chocolate is documented to be in use for over 4000
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years1 In fact, the analysis of residue from a vessel dated 600BC was labeled in a media release that BC
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didn’t stand for before chocolate. Likely on of the most repeated references to cacao was the reference
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to Montezuma who was said to consume 50 jugs of cocoa before visiting his wives and cocoa served as a
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Mesoamerican
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form of Viagra. In fact in one of Columbus’s later voyages, Columbus saw cocoa bean being transported
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and called them almonds 3 . In the 17th century, a physician in the Caribbean. Henry Stubbe wrote a
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book on cocoa called “The Indian Nectar” 4 Other medical professionals from that period thought that
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cocoa could be useful and cover up the tastes associated when consuming centipedes and earthworms
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and also covered up the taste of iron filings. We have not been able to locate the maladies to match
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these cures. There are numerous other medical uses of cocoa in Mesoamerica ranging from snake bite
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first aid to curing a hangover from vision quests 5. There were said to be over 120 different uses of
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cocoa which will not be repeated here. Hollenberg is credited for the reinvigoration of cocoa based on
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his work with the blood pressure of the Kuna Indians in Central America 6. This phenomena was also
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observed by a physician at the Panama Canal who published “The Blood Pressure of the Kuna Indians”
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in the Journal of Tropical Medicine in 1944 7
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While there is a rich history associated with cocoa, the chemistry goes hand in hand, as cocoa is
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treasure chest of bioactive compounds. Original work by Bainbridge reported 12 compounds in cocoa,
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the number now is excess of 500 8. According to Chocolate in Mesoamerica of the 500 or so compounds
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in cocoa three (pectin, sucrose, starch) act as Demulcents/Emollients, twelve as analgesics and 14 as
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antiseptics. There are two compounds with anesthetics functions and 26 compounds have an anti-
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inflammatory 9
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In mid-2013, I received an invitation from Gian Carlo di Renzo, the founder and current
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President, to meet in Perugia Italy to attend the founding meeting for ISCHOM, the International
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Society of Chocolate and Cocoa in Medicine, where a slate of officers and Executive Committee were
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elected. I was honored by my colleagues to serve as Treasurer. In 2014, the first International
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Conference of Chocolate and Cocoa in Medicine was held in Florence Italy with an eclectic group of
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presentations with a number of them number of them included in this issue of this journal. The
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manuscripts mentioned in this introduction illustrate the interdisciplinary approach that ISCHOM fosters
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with a diverse group from academic institutions and private organizations including physicians, a variety
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of scientists and historians. The main topical areas of the 1st Congress were
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Opening lectures on the background of chocolate and medicine
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Content of Chocolate and cocoa of medical interest: how much is processing affecting content?
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Metabolism of chocolate and cocoa and human health and disease
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the Symposium of the international Society of Dietary Supplements and Phytotherapy (ISDSP).
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Some example manuscripts include, “Sin and Pleasure, the History of Chocolate” by Donatella Lippi from
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the University of Florence., In this paper, the author provides a historical perspective on chocolate and
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cocoa starting from the time of the Maya to present day. In “Effect of Fermentation and Drying on
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Cocoa Polyphenols”, Barbara Albertini and others from the University of Perugia describe a set of
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experiments and results on samples of fine flavor National cacao where they saw a large decrease on
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polyphenol content indicating the necessity for an in depth study on this topic. Marion Raters and
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Reinhardt Matussek from the Association of the German Confectionary Association discussed the
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“Quantitation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Cocoa and Chocolate Samples by HPLC-FD
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Methods . In this contribution, four marker compounds were identified and summed. A total of 218
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samples were analyzed over a number of years with the authors indicating the levels of PAH’s was slight.
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“Cocoa, Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Health” by Claudio Ferri and others from the University of
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Aquila described a mechanism on the effects of polyphenols on blood pressure and overall cardiac
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health. and “Chocolate and Other Cocoa Products Effects on Human Reproduction and Pregnancy” by
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Eleonora Brillo and Gian Carlo Direnzo. In this manuscript, the authors wondered whether might
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someday cocoa be listed as a biofunctional food product. In “Cocoa, Glucose Tolerance, and Insulin
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Signaling: Cardiometabolic Protection”. Davide Grassi and colleagues from the University of Aquila
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indicate that cocoa and cocoa flavonoids may positively affect the pathophysiological mechanisms
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involved in insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction with possible benefits in the prevention of
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cardiometabolic diseases. The 2nd meeting of ISCHOM is slated for September 2015 in Barcelona with a
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similar diverse group of attendees. We are looking forward to seeing the presentations in print,
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References
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1 Powis ,T.G., Hurst ,W.J., Rodríguez , M.C., Ponciano ,O.C., Blake ,M.,Cheetham ,D., Coe, M.D.,
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Hodgson,J.,G., The Origins of Cacao Use in Mesoamerica Mexicon 30, 2008 35-38
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2 Cocoa: Science and Technology 243rd ACS National Meeting in San Diego, CA Spring 2012, that was
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held as part of the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry program.
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3 Wilson, P.,Hurst,W.J., Chocolate as Medicine, Royal Society of Chemistry, London 2012
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4 Stubbe, H., The Indian Nectar, or a discourse concerning Chocolata London 1662
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5 Dillinger TL1, Barriga P, Escárcega S, Jimenez M, Salazar Lowe D, Grivetti LE. Food of the gods: cure for
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humanity? A cultural history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate, Jour of Nutrition, 85 2000
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057S-72S.
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6 Fisher ND, Hollenberg NK. Flavanols for cardiovascular health: the science behind the sweetness. J Hypertens.23 2005; 1453–1459.
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7 Kean, B.H., The Blood Pressure of the Cuna Indians, American Journal of Tropical Medicine 24, 1944
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341–343 .
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8 Bainbridge , J.S.,Davie, S.,H., CCXXXI.—The essential oil of cocoa J. Chem. Soc., Trans., ,101, 191
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2209-2221
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9 McNeil , C.L. Chocolate in Mesoamerica: a cultural history of cacao. University of Florida Press,
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Gainesville 2006
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Funding
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The submission was supported bt The Hershey Co
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The author declares no competing financial interests
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