Sweet Spot

A new study associates eating dark chocolate with lowering blood pressure. But the daily dose recommended by doctors is no dessert lover's dream. A spoonful of dark chocolate may help blood pressure go down, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The new research found that daily dark-chocolate consumption was associated with a drop in blood pressure. But before chocolate lovers rejoice, a caveat: the study authors recommend limiting daily dark-chocolate consumption to a small size. Think one Hershey's Kiss, not one entire candy bar.
In an earlier study, author Dirk Taubert had participants consume 100 grams of dark chocolate each day for two weeks. While this was linked with a drop in blood pressure, it also added 480 calories to the daily diet. "I think that 100 grams of chocolate for that many weeks cannot be very good," says Taubert, senior lecturer in pharmacology, University Hospital in Cologne, Germany. "Chocolate contains a large amount of fat and has a potential for weight gain, which can have negative effects in terms of blood pressure."
So in his new study, participants ate a small, 30-calorie piece of chocolate each day for 18 weeks. Participants lowered their blood pressure by approximately three points for the systolic and two points for the diastolic measurement. (The systolic number, or top number in a blood pressure reading, measures the maximum pressure exerted by the heart when contracting; the bottom number, diastolic pressure, measures pressure when the heart is at rest.) Researchers believe the drop can be attributed to cocoa polyphenols, a chemical compound abundant in dark chocolate that is not found in its milk or white counterparts.
While a three-point drop in systolic units may initially seem unimpressive, it may play a significant role in disease risk reduction. In a large population, Taubert and his coauthors wrote that such a drop "would reduce the relative risk of stroke morality by 8 percent, of coronary-artery disease mortality by 5 percent and of all-cause mortality by 4 percent." Another bonus is that convincing patients to eat chocolate is a relatively easy feat. Attempts to lower blood pressure often involve larger lifestyle changes, such as reducing sodium intake or increasing athletic activity, and patients often struggle to adhere to these new routines. While it's not a complete remedy for high blood pressure, taking a bite of dark chocolate is a heart-healthy habit that's easy to pick up.
"We were looking for a very simple and easy way for people to lower their blood pressure," says Taubert. "In our view, since chocolate is so popular, its easy to convince a person to eat a little amount of chocolate." Taubert cautions the public against viewing his results as a license to consume chocolate in excess. Only dark chocolate has these blood pressure-reducing benefits, he says, and they are best achieved through moderate consumption.
"You have this problem where chocolate is a very popular food issue, but on the other hand we know about the problems of weight gain," he says. "Therefore, we have to be a little careful with our advice. We would only advise people to eat small amounts of dark chocolate."
[Reuters]