I don't know about you, but I really do love chocolate and rarely need an excuse to indulge. Since there is new research suggesting that dark chocolate (my favorite) helps lower blood pressure I might not need to rationalize my small indulgences any longer.
German scientists found that eating a tiny square of dark chocolate every night before bed, lowered blood pressure. I just want to reiterate, that it is a "tiny square" of dark chocolate, not an entire bar of chocolate. Participants in the study ate one square -- 6.3 grams and 30 calories -- of a Ritter Sport Halbbitter, which is 50 percent cacao, every day for 18 weeks. The cool thing about this new study is that participants ate regular, ol' dark chocolate not some fancy pants, scientifically distilled, flavonoid enhanced cocoa.
It is thought that chocolate lowers blood pressure when cocoa flavanols spur the release of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow. I think it is super cool that my chocolate fix is helping to keep my blood pressure regulated. I think it is important to mention, when dealing with high blood pressure, chocolate may help but it is not the only answer. It is just one element folks can use to manage hypertension.
Maison Martin Margiela
Don't like dark chocolate (i'm more into milk chocolate) But I will pass thsi information around to my family and relative since we have history of high blood pressure. I'm sure they wouldn't mind.
1yes, chocolate (as in coco) is good for you and is healthy.
it's all the sugar that makes commercial chocolates so less-healthy.
2I love a good dark chocolate, 85% cocoa or higher is best!
3In this study, the eating of dark chocolate lowered the blood pressure a few points for people with slightly elevated blood pressure. Slightly elevated blood pressure is not the same as hypertension. Dark chocolate may be a future supplement to prescription medication and lifestyle changes, but it likely won't be enough on its own for people with hypertension.
4if only one could eat an entire dark chocolate bar in order to lower blood pressure
5I don't like milk chocolate--too sweet for me >.
6my sweetie and I are obsessed with dark chocolate! yummers!
7I don't consider myself a true chocolate lover b/c I don't really care for dark chocolate. I have a kid's appetite for chocolate -- Snickers, M&Ms and Hershey bars!
8i've always hated milk chocolates... especially cadbury ones. lindt's 85% cocoa swiss thins are the best!
9Dark chocolate is divine
10I didn't know this!
11I HATE DARK CHOC. BUTT.. I GUESS IF ITS HEALTHY I CAN EAT IT .. A LITTLE. :)I CANT BELIEVE IT IS HEALTHY.. OUT OF ALL THE THINGS IN THE WORLD.. CHOC! COOL.
12I prefer milk chocolate, but pretend to like dark chocolate because it's classier. Ha.
13oh i love dark chocolate! i'm vegan so its the only kind i can find in regular places that i can eat.
14i l-o-v-e chocolate (every kind of chocolate), but i can't eat just a tiny bit , i need to eat the all bar ,so for me it's kind of good news.
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