Monica Bearden, RD (Tomball, TX), has published frequently on the cardiovascular health benefits of chocolate. She is the co-owner of NutCom Nutrition Communications and a nutrition consultant for the YMCA. She has worked as a nutrition scientist for a major chocolate manufacturer. Bearden helped manage the early research that showed cocoa to have health benefits and was a company spokesperson to discuss the health benefits of cocoa. She has published numerous papers and has given numerous presentations on the subject of cocoa and health.