Eating dark chocolate or cocoa powder drinks may lead to a small drop in blood pressure according to new research out of Australia.
The scientists looked at information from 20 different studies and found that consuming cocoa rich treats lead to a 2 point drop in blood pressure readings.
The experts say it's because cocoa contains antioxidants that play a role in opening up our blood vessels which reduces blood pressure.
Most of the studies lasted between 2 - 8 weeks and included more than 850 mostly healthy adults. The amount of dark chocolate or cocoa eaten ranged from just a small piece of chocolate, to a large chocolate bar or large cocoa drink.
And though the amounts of chocolate consumed differed from study to study, the high levels of antioxidants in the cocoa products were fairly constant.
The researchers stress that eating too much chocolate is unhealthy because of the high sugar and fat content.
They say more research is needed to determine if dark chocolate can serve as a complement to other treatment options to control blood pressure and heart disease.
(Barbara Hall for CNN's Health Minute)
The scientists looked at information from 20 different studies and found that consuming cocoa rich treats lead to a 2 point drop in blood pressure readings.
The experts say it's because cocoa contains antioxidants that play a role in opening up our blood vessels which reduces blood pressure.
Most of the studies lasted between 2 - 8 weeks and included more than 850 mostly healthy adults. The amount of dark chocolate or cocoa eaten ranged from just a small piece of chocolate, to a large chocolate bar or large cocoa drink.
And though the amounts of chocolate consumed differed from study to study, the high levels of antioxidants in the cocoa products were fairly constant.
The researchers stress that eating too much chocolate is unhealthy because of the high sugar and fat content.
They say more research is needed to determine if dark chocolate can serve as a complement to other treatment options to control blood pressure and heart disease.
(Barbara Hall for CNN's Health Minute)
Comments
Unfortunately, the commercial chocolate you find in the stores carries very little of the heart healthy flavanols. The alkalizing and heating process destroys most of the fragile antioxidants, the same as overcooking your vegetables. There is a company that utilizes a patented cold-press process that keeps all of the antioxidants intact. I have 5 to 6 servings of this healthy chocolate every day, and have for 5 years now. As a result, I no longer take pain pills for the arthritis in my hips, have perfect blood pressure, and have been able to raise my HDL without raising my LDL cholesterol. There is a great article on the difference between "good" chocolate and "bad" chocolate at cocoa101.com.
Diana M.
August 16, 2012 at 7:25 pm
