Chocolate News and Research

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Tips to keep kids safe while playing outside in the cold

Cold winds, icy rain and, in some places, snow—Old Man Winter is here. With the snowball fights, snow forts and snowy hills come some serious dangers. In addition to ducking from flying snow balls and avoiding out-of-control skiers, parents need to be on the lookout for dangerously low body temperatures and frostbite related to cold weather exposure.

10 Jan 2013

Tips to help maintain healthy New Year's resolution

Now that the New Year is upon us, New Year's resolutions to eat healthier may be top of mind, but how easy is it to keep your resolve after a few weeks? To keep from sliding back into old habits, Ryerson University experts offer tips to help you keep on track.

9 Jan 2013

Color of containers where food and drink are served can enhance attributes like taste and aroma

Two researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the University of Oxford have proven that hot chocolate tastes better in an orange or cream coloured cup than in a white or red one. The study adds to recent research demonstrating how our senses perceive food in a different way depending on the characteristics of the container from which we eat and drink.

4 Jan 2013

Tips to prevent holiday headaches

Holidays are a time for family, friends, and happy memories. But those joyful moments can be associated with stress – from marathon shopping, preparing for celebrations, and traveling. Stress and other stimuli may trigger or increase your headaches.

30 Nov 2012

Hospital for Special Surgery physical therapist offers marathon recovery tips

Close to 47,000 runners have spent the past several months training for the ING New York City Marathon. Once they have completed the race and achieved their goals, there are measures they can take to facilitate recovery, decrease post-race discomfort, and return to running without injury.

3 Nov 2012

Brain's infralimbic cortex can switch between new and old habits

Habits are behaviors wired so deeply in our brains that we perform them automatically. This allows you to follow the same route to work every day without thinking about it, liberating your brain to ponder other things, such as what to make for dinner.

1 Nov 2012

Halloween safety tips from UC San Diego

The Regional Burn Center and Emergency Departments at UC San Diego Health System - along with the California Poison Control System - San Diego Division located at UC San Diego Medical Center - offer the following safety precautions to help parents and guardians make Halloween safe this year.

23 Oct 2012

Carob extracts may combat listeriosis

Leaves of the plant that yields carob - the substitute for chocolate that some consider healthier than chocolate - are a rich source of antibacterial substances ideal for fighting the microbe responsible for listeriosis, a serious form of food poisoning, according to a report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

19 Oct 2012

Heavy caffeinated coffee consumption may increase risk of exfoliation glaucoma

A new study suggests caffeinated coffee drinkers should limit their intake to reduce their chances of developing vision loss or blindness. According to a scientific paper in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, heavy caffeinated coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of developing exfoliation glaucoma, the leading cause of secondary glaucoma worldwide.

4 Oct 2012

Dark chocolate can improve length and strength of memories

Type the word 'superfood,' into a web browser and you'll be overwhelmed: some websites even maintain that dark chocolate can have beneficial effects. But take a closer look at the science underpinning these claims, and you'll discover just how sparse it is.

28 Sep 2012

Competition between two brain regions influences the ability to make healthy choices

Almost everyone knows the feeling: you see a delicious piece of chocolate cake on the table, but as you grab your fork, you think twice. The cake is too fattening and unhealthy, you tell yourself. Maybe you should skip dessert.

27 Sep 2012

Eat fruit and veggies to prevent heart attack, women told

A diet that is high in antioxidants can reduce the risk for myocardial infarction in women, a study suggests.

26 Sep 2012

Dark chocolate lovers can handle wide range of bitter tastes before rejection

Dark chocolate lovers can handle a wider range of bitter tastes before rejection compared to milk chocolate fans, according to Penn State food scientists.

31 Aug 2012

Cocoa and blood pressure: an interview with Dr Karin Ried

The compounds in cocoa responsible for blood pressure reduction are called flavanols or polyphenols. Flavanols are also found in green tea, dark berries or red wine.

24 Aug 2012

Reasoning and behavioral control dependent on different regions of frontal lobes

The frontal lobes are the largest part of the human brain, and thought to be the part that expanded most during human evolution. Damage to the frontal lobes-which are located just behind and above the eyes-can result in profound impairments in higher-level reasoning and decision making. To find out more about what different parts of the frontal lobes do, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) recently teamed up with researchers at the world's largest registry of brain-lesion patients.

22 Aug 2012

Heart-healthy chocolate lowers blood pressure

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that regular consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa powder or chocolate reduces blood pressure by a small but significant amount.

20 Aug 2012

New evidence reveals possibility of mood-enhancing effects associated with some flavors

New evidence reveals the possibility of mood-enhancing effects associated with some flavors, stemming at least in part from natural ingredients bearing a striking chemical similarity to valproic acid, a widely used prescription mood-stabilizing drug, scientists reported here today. This effect joins those previously reported for chocolate, teas and some other known comfort foods.

20 Aug 2012

Heart-healthy chocolate lowers blood pressure

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that regular consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa powder or chocolate reduces blood pressure by a small but significant amount.

16 Aug 2012

Fruit juice may reduce chocolate's fat content

Scientists have found a way to replace up to 50 per cent of chocolate's fat content with fruit juice.

15 Aug 2012

Compounds in cocoa may help decrease blood pressure

Compounds in cocoa may help to reduce blood pressure, according to a new systematic review in The Cochrane Library. The researchers reviewed evidence from short-term trials in which participants were given dark chocolate or cocoa powder daily and found that their blood pressure dropped slightly compared to a control group.

15 Aug 2012