A Delicious Solution for High Blood Pressure

A Delicious Solution for High Blood Pressure
By Jon Herring
More good news for chocolate lovers. A recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that eating just a small amount of dark chocolate can be as effective at lowering blood pressure as making major dietary changes. And it is certainly an easier regimen to maintain.
German researchers at the University Hospital of Cologne divided 44 adults with early-stage hypertension into two groups. The subjects ate 6.3 grams of either dark chocolate or white chocolate each day. While the dark chocolate contained about 30 mg of beneficial polyphenols (from cocoa), the white chocolate contained none.
The subjects who consumed the dark chocolate experienced an average systolic blood pressure reduction of 2.9 mm Hg and diastolic BP reduction of 1.9 mm Hg. Furthermore, the percentage of the test subjects who were clinically diagnosed with hypertension dropped from 86 percent to 68 percent. And these improvements were made without any changes in body weight, blood lipids, or blood sugar levels. Those who ate the white chocolate saw no changes.
The polyphenols in cocoa work as vasodilators, helping the blood vessels relax and become more flexible, and thus reducing the pressure inside. And it takes a surprisingly small amount to have an effect.
So if you love chocolate, take heart. But stick to dark chocolate. Milk chocolate has very little cocoa and too much sugar. You can also buy organic powdered cocoa at most health food stores. I often mix a teaspoon or two into my coffee, or I mix it in milk and add a teaspoon of erythritol for a tasty and healthful chocolate drink.