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urn:hdl:2445/152531 Health benefits of methylxanthines in cacao and chocolate Franco Fernández, Rafael Oñatibia Astibia, Ainhoa Martínez-Pinilla, Eva Begudes sense alcohol Cafeïna Alcaloides Adenosina Non-alcoholic beverages Caffeine Alkaloids Adenosine One may wonder why methylxanthines are so abundant in beverages used by humans for centuries, or in cola-drinks that have been heavily consumed since their appearance. It is likely that humans have stuck to any brew containing compounds with psychoactive properties, resulting in a better daily life, i.e., more efficient thinking, exploring, hunting, etc., however, without the serious side effects of drugs of abuse. The physiological effects of methylxanthines have been known for a long time and they are mainly mediated by the so-called adenosine receptors. Caffeine and theobromine are the most abundant methylxanthines in cacao and their physiological effects are notable. Their health-promoting benefits are so remarkable that chocolate is explored as a functional food. The consequences of adenosine receptor blockade by natural compounds present in cacao/chocolate are here reviewed. Palatability and health benefits of methylxanthines, in general, and theobromine, in particular, have further contributed to sustain one of the most innocuous and pleasant habits: chocolate consumption. 2020-03-11T16:14:37Z 2020-03-11T16:14:37Z 2013-10-18 2020-03-11T16:14:38Z info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5104159 Nutrients, 2013, vol. 5, num. 10, p. 4159-4173 https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5104159 cc-by (c) Franco Fernández, Rafael et al., 2013 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess MDPI Articles publicats en revistes (Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular)