Calcium intakes in individuals on diets for the management of cows' milk allergy: a case control study.

Three hundred and twenty-three individuals with self-reported food allergy were recruited by media advertisements. Questionnaire information was collected on all respondents. Chocolate (57%), milk (47%), wheat (36%) and food additives (35%) were the most frequently implicated foods. The most frequently reported symptoms were itching (43%), skin rash (43%) and tiredness (43%). Food avoidance was the most common form of food allergy diagnosis (33%) with only 8% of respondents reporting food challenge in food allergy diagnosis. Self-diagnosis was reported by 34% of respondents with 29% and 24% reporting diagnosis by a general practitioner or a homeopath, respectively. Twenty-four per cent of respondents 'always' avoided and a further 57% 'nearly always' avoided the implicated food(s). A group of 38 adults with self-reported 'milk allergy' was selected for further study. Dietary assessments, using the dietary history method, were carried out on this subgroup and on age-, sex- and occupation-matched controls. The results of the dietary assessments revealed that the 'milk allergy' group had significantly higher intakes of fibre, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron and folic acid (P < 0.05) and significantly lower intakes of calcium (P < 0.002) in comparison to controls. Eighteen per cent of the group used milk alternatives. Thirty-four per cent of the 'milk allergy' group took calcium-containing supplements. Even after calcium supplementation, the mean calcium intake of those who completely avoided milk was unacceptably low (441 mg/d).

The medicinal use of chocolate in early North America.

The medicinal use of chocolate has a long history in North America dating back to the 16th century. From Mesoamerican Codices and European Treatises scholars have determined that for hundreds of years the beverage called chocolate was administered to the sick and prescribed homeopathically to prevent illness. Yet, little scholarship exists that focuses on medicinal chocolate usage in early North America (18th-19th century). This paper examines medical practices during this era and associated medicinal norms with special attention given to chocolate/cocoa usage. Given the current scientific attention on the relationship between dark chocolate consumption and heart disease attenuation it is timely to investigate and chronicle America's medical forebears' understanding of, and practices related to, the medicinal use of chocolate. Indeed, there is a significant amount of literature to suggest that chocolate was used for wellness and to treat illness.