How much does dark chocolate lower blood pressure?
Consumption of dark chocolate has been shown to be good for health. However, before you consult your doctor about this, and well before he prescribes you a cube or two of this strangely tempting potential drug, here are a few more interesting facts about this discovery by a group of German scientists.
The first is that it has been known for a long time that dark chocolate, the kind that housewives regularly use when preparing desserts and is also called “cooking chocolate”, is an excellent source of antioxidants, which, on the other hand, are also important for maintaining health. And, in one gram of this chocolate there are more of them than in the same amount of red wine or green tea.
The latest study came from Cologne, where at the university hospital a team of doctors and researchers, led by Dr. Dirk Taubert, investigated the effect of black chocolate on a group of 44 subjects who, apart from high blood pressure, had no other health problems. The obtained result really deserves attention.
“It was established that dark chocolate reduced systolic (heart) blood pressure by as much as 2.9 units and diastolic by 1.9 units.” White chocolate, which was used as a control substance, had no effect on blood pressure in these people,” says Dr. Taubert.
The neutral nature of white chocolate has also been proven in some earlier studies. And not only white chocolates, but also ordinary milk chocolates. The biochemical explanation of this conclusion is the result of the fact that dark chocolate contains large amounts of compounds belonging to the group of polyphenols. Entered into the body, polyphenols increase the production of nitric oxide, which directly affects the blood vessels, causing them to expand and thus lower blood pressure.
However, like any good story about something that can replace the use of drugs, this one has a few details that could be a turnoff for some people. The first is the fact that dark chocolate has a taste very different from the irresistibly recognizable milk chocolate we are used to. Dark chocolates are bitter, and the rule of thumb is that the more bitter they are, the healthier they are, as this is influenced by the amount of polyphenols in them. Of course, it’s not just about taste, but also about permitted amounts. Fortunately, in order to achieve the desired effect, it is enough to eat a cube or two. Taken in these doses, it does not pose a problem that leads to obesity because it has no effect on weight gain. This is important to emphasize because chocolate is rich in fat, so the use of large amounts can lead to obesity, and obese people struggle with high blood pressure even more.
Our doctors have not yet started prescribing chocolate bars as a cure for high blood pressure, but don’t be surprised if a friend who lives in Germany these days tells you that he takes care of the amount of salt in his diet, but also that every day with a cup of tea he also eats a cube or two of dark chocolate, exactly as recommended by his doctor.
Cocoa protects health
Flavanols found in cocoa beans improve blood flow in the brain, according to a study published in the journal “Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment”.
Scientists have established the beneficial effect of cocoa beans on blood flow in the brain in both short-term and long-term studies, so they claim with a high degree of certainty that the antioxidant activity of flavanols is responsible for the positive effect.
The authors of this new study point out that long-term better blood flow has a positive impact on our cognitive abilities, but also provides protection against high blood pressure and stroke.
