Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Health Services, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy.
Nutrients. 2013 May 14;5(5):1573-84. doi: 10.3390/nu5051573.
Throughout history, chocolate has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments, and in recent years, multiple studies have found that chocolate can have positive health effects, providing evidence to a centuries-long established use; this acknowledgement, however, did not have a straight course, having been involved in religious, medical and cultural controversies. Christian Europe, in fact, feared the exhilarating effects of new drinks, such as chocolate, coffee and tea. Therefore, these beverages would have been banished, had not doctors and scientists explained that they were good for the body. The scientific debate, which reached its peak in Florence in the 18th century, regarded the therapeutic effectiveness of the various chocolate components: it was necessary to know their properties first, in order to prepare the best cacao concoction for every patient. When Dietetics separated from Medicine, however, chocolate acquired the role of vehicle for easing the administration of bitter medicines, being associated to different health problems. The recent rediscovery of the beneficial use of cacao and chocolate focuses upon its value as supplemental nutrition. Building a bridge to the past may be helpful to detect the areas where the potential health benefits of chocolate are likely to be further explored.
纵观历史，巧克力被用于治疗各种疾病，近年来，多项研究发现巧克力对健康有积极影响，为其几个世纪以来的应用提供了证据；然而，这种认可并非一帆风顺，它涉及宗教、医学和文化等方面的争议。事实上，基督教欧洲对巧克力、咖啡和茶等新饮料的兴奋作用感到恐惧。因此，如果没有医生和科学家解释说这些饮料对身体有益，它们可能就会被禁止。这场科学争论在 18 世纪的佛罗伦萨达到了顶峰，涉及到各种巧克力成分的治疗效果：首先必须了解它们的特性，才能为每个病人准备最好的可可混合物。然而，当营养学从医学中分离出来后，巧克力就成为了缓解苦味药物的给药途径，与不同的健康问题相关联。最近对可可和巧克力有益用途的重新发现，关注的是其作为补充营养的价值。回顾过去可能有助于发现巧克力的潜在健康益处可能进一步探索的领域。
