Eating
flavanol-rich dark chocolate
as part of a healthy diet
may help lower blood
pressure in people who have
persistent high blood
pressure for which no
specific cause can be found
(essential hypertension),
say researchers.
Writing
in the journal
Hypertension, Dr David
Grassi, from the University
of L'Aquila in Italy, and
colleagues explain that dark
chocolate has been shown to
decrease blood pressure and
insulin resistance in
healthy people. They
therefore decided to see
whether the confectionary
could help reduce blood
pressure levels in people
with hypertension.
For
their study, the researchers
assigned 20 patients with
essential hypertension, who
had never been treated for
the disorder, to either 100
g per day of dark chocolate
containing 88 mg flavanoid
or 90 g per day of
flavanoid-free white
chocolate, for a period of
15 days.
Flavanoids are compounds
found in certain foods, such
as apples, tea,
wine and cocoa,
which may have potential
heart benefits.
After a
chocolate-free period, the
groups were switched over to
the alternative chocolate
"treatment". All
participants had systolic
(during the heart beat)
blood pressure of 140-159
mmHg and diastolic (between
heart beats) blood pressure
of 90-99 mmHg, and none had
diabetes or smoked.
The
researchers found that the
participants' 24-hour
systolic and diastolic blood
pressure decreased after
consumption of the dark
chocolate by an average of
11.9 mmHg and 8.5 mmHg,
respectively. The
consumption of the dark
chocolate was also
associated with improvements
in insulin resistance and
reductions in levels of
"bad" cholesterol.
None of
these benefits, however,
were seen after consumption
of the white chocolate.
"The
current study shows that
consumption of
flavanoid-rich dark
chocolate decreased
daytime and nighttime BP
[and] reduced insulin
resistance," the researchers
report.
However,
they add: "It is important
to note that the dark
chocolate used in this and
related studies differs
markedly from the majority
of commercially available
cocoa or chocolate
confectionery with very low
flavanoid content.
"Further
caution is always warranted
when considering dietary
recommendations for foods
high in fat and calories,
especially for
cardiovascular disease."
Toast of chocolate to
your health!
