November 2003

Dark chocolate reduces high blood pressure

There's a bright side to dark chocolate -- it can bring down high blood pressure.

Hmmm. Good news. Dark chocolate, the bane of dieters, has a lighter side: It has been shown to bring down high blood pressure.

The Cleveland Clinic Heart Advisor reports in its November issue on a new study that adds to the growing list of positive health attributes for chocolate.

"In case you need an excuse for a chocolate habit," the clinic's editors write, then the new study should be of interest: The study indicates that eating chocolate daily can help reduce high blood pressure, the Heart Advisor said.

"Eating a 3.5 ounce dark chocolate bar may help bring down high blood pressure," the health newsletter reported on a study of adults aged 55 to 64, all suffering from hypertension.

The test patients were prescribed a white or dark chocolate bar daily for two weeks. "Those who ate the dark bar enjoyed a significant drop in blood pressure compared with those who ate the white chocolate," the Heart Advisor said.

Researchers point out that dark chocolate, but not white, is rich in "heart-healthy chemicals called polyphenols," the editors said. The new study on dark chocolate's positive effects on high blood pressure has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Source: PrNewswire

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