Chocolate lovers can take heart in the fact that the confection can deliver more than good taste. Research based at University of California San Francisco indicates that eating cocoa products on a regular basis can result in lower blood pressure. Understand the factors that link this popular treat to a potential for health benefits.
Background
Chocolate products originate from the beans of the cacao, a small tree grown in Central and South America for more than 3,000 years. Natives first used cacao beans by brewing them as a beer. The Spanish later brought the beans to Europe and processed them in various ways, including grinding the beans into a powder known as cocoa. These methods led to the types of chocolate familiar to us today.
The Facts
Many plants, including the cacao tree, contain natural substances called flavanols. Flavanols protect plants from diseases and pests plus promote healing in damaged plants. A July 2010 news bulletin by researchers at University of California San Francisco noted that plant flavanols can provide a beneficial effect when consumed by humans. Research studies reported in "Journal of the American Medical Association" and "Hypertension" attribute a cacao flavanol called epicatechin to decreased blood pressure.
Significance
Chocolate's potential as a natural way to lower blood pressure is important because high blood pressure, or hypertension, affects almost everyone at some point. About 67 million American adults have hypertension. Blood pressure usually increases gradually over time and can come to the point where it can damage your body's blood vessels and cause heart disease and stroke if left untreated.
Effects
The amount of blood being pumped from the heart and resistance in the arteries to blood flow out of the heart regulate blood pressure. Arteries are the large blood vessels that lead blood out of the heart and channel it throughout the body. Flavanols in chocolate relax the arteries and make them less rigid. This causes the blood to flow more easily, resulting in less pressure against the arteries.
Recommendations
Dark chocolate is richest in flavanols and so provides the most potential for lowering blood pressure. Nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky suggests eating dark chocolate with cocoa content of 65 percent or higher. It is still unclear what amount of chocolate you must consume to produce lower blood pressure. Participants in the University Hospital of Cologne study had lower blood pressure after regularly eating an amount less than one-tenth the size of a standard 100 g chocolate candy bar. UCSF professor and researcher Mary Engler recommends about 7 g of dark chocolate daily for healthy adults.
Considerations
Study results have been promising, but more large-scale research is needed to further identify chocolate's affect on blood pressure and to define general recommendations. In the meantime, enjoy cocoa products, but remember that moderation is a good rule to apply to all types of foods.
Tips
Get creative with ways to add dark chocolate to your diet. Try stirring a tablespoon of dark baking cocoa into your morning coffee or sprinkling it over coffee grounds before brewing a pot. Add dark cocoa powder to pancake batter with a little extra sweetener such as honey, as dark chocolate has a slightly bitter flavor. Bake muffins, cookies, cakes and brownies using dark cocoa. Try a main dish recipe such as chili that includes dark chocolate as a surprise ingredient.
References
- University of California San Francisco News: Cocoa Flavanols improve Vascular and Blood Pressure...; July 2010
- "Hypertension"; Does Dark Chocolate Have a Role...Hypertension?; Brent Egan; et al.; April 2010
- MayoClinic.com: High blood pressure (hypertension)
- "Hypertension"; Cocoa Reduces Blood Pressure...; Davide Grassi; et al.; July 2005
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake...; Dirk Taubert; et al.; 2007
- AllChocolate: Understanding chocolate
