Lowering blood pressure tastily
You know I never pass up a chance to extol the virtues of chocolate. A trial was done in Germany with 44 patients who had high blood pressure. The objective of the study was to look at the effects of low doses of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate on blood-pressure levels. The patients involved (24 women and 20 men) ranged in age from 56 to 73 years and were on the threshold of being diagnosed hypertensive, or already just over the line as hypertensive.
To measure the true effects of adding dark chocolate to the diet, none of the patients was being treated for their condition at the start of the study.
For 18 weeks, participants received either 6.3 grams per day of dark chocolate that contained 30 mg of polyphenols or the same amount of polyphenol-free white chocolate. Polyphenols have antioxidative properties and have been linked to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. And 6.3 grams is actually a tiny amount—less than a quarter of an ounce, which is just a square or two of most brands.
After the 18 weeks, they measured everyone's blood pressure. The dark chocolate group reduced mean systolic blood pressure (that's the top number) by 2.9 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 1.9 mm Hg (that's the bottom number). Experts all agree this is a "clinically meaningful" drop—a fancy way of saying it's a big enough drop to make a difference to your health. Even more impressive, the overall rate of hypertension declined from 86 percent to 68 percent in this group of people.
As you probably already suspected, white chocolate offered no changes in blood pressure.
I really enjoy the dark chocolate bars made by Green and Black, as well as another that's made by Scharffen Berger. Aim for a minimum of 70 percent cocoa content so you're getting the most cocoa content possible. Milk chocolate just doesn't have the same health benefits, I'm sorry to say.
Please treat yourself in moderation, though, because even dark chocolate contains fat and you don't want to trade one health problem for another.
