Chocolate and its key ingredient, cocoa powder, have received a lot of media attention for health benefits. Cardiovascular benefits are among the most studied health advantages, and one of the keys to a healthy heart is low blood pressure. The news is good about cocoa's blood-pressure-lowering effects. But be sure to consult with your doctor before deciding to indulge for heart health benefits.
Hypertension
If you suffer from high blood pressure, or hypertension, you're not alone. It's a massive problem. The Centers for Disease Control reports that hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease that can be controlled. Hypertension affects one in three adults, contributes to one out of every seven deaths, and is the cause of nearly half of all cardiovascular disease related deaths. Just reducing salt intake can eliminate 11 million cases, and now it looks like a daily dose of dark chocolate could help.
Meaningful Reduction
A daily treat of dark chocolate reduces blood pressure by a small but important percentage. Researchers reporting in the January 2007 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," found that a 30 calorie serving of dark chocolate reduced blood pressure in 22 study participants by about 2 percent. If this benefit was applied across the entire population of Americans suffering from hypertension, it would reduce the relative risk of stroke mortality by 8 percent, of coronary artery disease mortality by 5 percent, and of all other causes of mortality by 4 percent.
Cocoa Flavanols
Flavanols are chemical compounds found in cocoa and other plants that account for the antioxidant effects made famous by red wine and green tea. In a study reported in the July 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Cardiology," researchers found a blood pressure lowering effect from drinking a cocoa beverage containing 375 mg of flavanols. The benefit was produced by actually improving the strength and health of blood vessels and arteries. However the researchers emphasized that a standard or recommended dosage for optimal health has not yet been defined.
Nutrigenomics
Nutrigenomics is the study of the effects of foods on gene expression. Researchers reporting in the January 2011 issue of the "Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology" examined the effects of cocoa on gene expression to try and explain cocoa's blood pressure lowering benefits. You may have heard of ACE inhibitors. ACE is an enzyme that causes blood vessels to constrict, and ACE inhibitors aim to stop the expression of ACE enzymes. The researchers found that dark chocolate containing 72 percent cocoa worked as well as prescription ACE inhibitors in stopping ACE expression and in lowering blood pressure.
References
- "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report"; Vital Signs: Prevalence, Treatment and Control of Hypertension; Centers for Disease Control; February 4, 2011
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake on Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide - A Randomized Controlled Trial; Dirk Taubert et al., January 2007
- "Journal of the American College of Cardiology"; Improvement of Endothelial Function With Dietary Flavanols Is Associated With Mobilization of Circulating Angiogenic Cells in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease; Christian Heiss et al.; July 2010
- "Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology" Effects of Cocoa Extract and Dark Chocolate on Angiotensin-converting Enzyme and Nitric Oxide in Human Endothelial Cells and Healthy Volunteers--A Nutrigenomics Perspective; Ian Persson et al., January 2011
