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Chocolate and Cancer Prevention?

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Book cover Chocolate in Health and Nutrition

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH,volume 7))

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Key Points

  • Given the many ways that flavanols interact with cells and tissues, catechins and procyanidins in cocoa products may contribute to cancer prevention.

  • Experimental studies in cell lines and animal models indicate that cocoa products and their active ingredients influence pathways with anticarcinogenic properties. They have the ability to lower oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, inhibit cell proliferation, and modify gut microbiota.

  • Doses of catechins and procyanidins in experimental settings are often much higher than can be achieved in humans.

  • Human intervention studies have reported favorable changes in biomarkers assessing antioxidant status, inflammatory markers, and intestinal microbiota.

  • The sparse epidemiologic literature offers weak support for a reduction in cancer incidence and mortality related to high flavanol intake from all sources, but the evidence for cocoa products is inconclusive. Colorectal cancer has received the most attention of all cancer sites.

  • Dietary assessment methods and nutritional databases face many challenges in accurately measuring intake of cocoa products and their flavanol content.

  • For future epidemiologic studies related to cocoa and chocolate products, valid dietary assessment methods that capture the large variety of chocolate and cocoa products as well as other flavanol-containing foods are needed.

  • The relative intake of flavanols from cocoa and chocolate products may be too small to detect their distinct cancer-protective effect in population-based studies with diverse nutritional habits and a wide range of risk factors for cancer.

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  1. University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Gertraud Maskarinec M.D., Ph.D.

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  1. Gertraud Maskarinec M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Gertraud Maskarinec M.D., Ph.D. .

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  1. Health Sciences Center, Department of Health Promotion Sciences, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Ave. 1295, Tucson, 85724-5155, Arizona, USA

    Ronald Ross Watson

  2. Dept. Nutrition & Dietetics, King's College, Stamford St. 150, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Division of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin Avenue, Tucson, 85724, Arizona, USA

    Sherma Zibadi

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Maskarinec, G. (2013). Chocolate and Cancer Prevention?. In: Watson, R., Preedy, V., Zibadi, S. (eds) Chocolate in Health and Nutrition. Nutrition and Health, vol 7. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-803-0_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-803-0_26

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