Nutritional contribution of coffee, cacao and tea phenolics to human health

The intention of this short overview is to contribute to a better understanding of the physiological effects of the coffee, cacao and tea phenolics to human health. The paper gives a short description of the principle phenolic compounds present in each of the food stuffs, their intake, summarises the data available on their bioavailability and metabolism and gives finally a short resume of their beneficial effects in biological systems in vitro, in animals, and in humans.