Keeping your blood pressure under control requires making many lifestyle changes. This includes eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, quitting smoking and managing stress. If your blood pressure becomes dangerously high you may also need to take medication. Along with all of the above, including some cocoa in your diet may also help. However, given that high blood pressure is a serious condition, talk to your doctor first before starting any new treatment or changing your diet.
Blood Pressure
As the heart muscle pumps blood through the body, the blood exerts a force or pressure against the blood vessel walls. You can feel this pressure by taking your pulse or it can be measured by taking your blood pressure. Blood pressure is recorded as a fraction: the top or systolic number represents the force created when the heart contracts; the bottom or diastolic number represents the force created when the heart is at rest. When your blood pressure starts to rise above 140/90 mm Hg, so does your risk of heart disease, a heart attack, stroke and kidney disease, says the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Flavanols
Cocoa contains substances called flavanols that have antioxidant properties. Flavanols occur naturally in cocoa. While more research is needed to determine the benefits and proper dosing of flavanols, it appears that these substances help to repair the inner lining of the blood vessel walls, reports the University of California. This is important because when the blood vessel walls become damaged, it is easier for plaque to stick to and build up along the walls. As the layer of plaque builds the blood vessels become hard and narrow, decreasing the amount of space the blood has to flow through, which increases your blood pressure.
Type
Cocoa comes from the cocoa bean -- a seed of the fruit of the cocoa tree. Cocoa beans are about 54 percent fat, 31 percent carbohydrate, 11 percent protein, 3 percent polyphenols and less than 1 percent minerals. Making cocoa involves removing most of the fat to create cocoa powder or chocolate. All cocoa beans are high in antioxidants, but when beans are fermented, roasted or alkalized to improve taste, the antioxidant content is dramatically decreased, notes the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition. When choosing a type of cocoa look for commercial natural cocoa and the words natural cocoa, should be on the label. Natural cocoa has been less processed and should have higher amounts of flavanols. Cocoa that has undergone Dutch processing also tends to be lower in antioxidants. However, since the use of flavanols is not regulated there is no guarantee that the product you are using has a high amount of antioxidants.
Considerations
As beneficial as flavonols may be it is important to be careful about other substances being consumed along with the cocoa. Dark chocolate and flavored drinks can be high in fat, calories and sugar, all of which contribute to high blood pressure if too much is consumed. When trying to manage your blood pressure, the Cleveland Clinic recommends enjoying moderate portions of chocolate along with eating other flavonoid-rich foods such as apples, red wine, tea, onions and cranberries.
References
- American Academy of Family Physicians: High Blood Pressure: What You Should Know
- The University of California, San Francisco, CA: Cocoa Flavanols Improve Vascular and Blood Pressure Measures for Coronary Artery Disease Patients
- Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition: Antioxidants
- Cleveland Clinic: Heart-Health Benefits of Chocolate Unveiled
