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Chocolate and Blood Pressure

posted by Dr. Brent Aug 20, 2008 5:00 pm
Chocolate and Blood Pressure
8 comments

Q: A friend just told me that chocolate can reduce blood pressure. It sounds too good to be true. Is it?

A: There’s some evidence that the flavonoids in dark chocolate may help reduce blood pressure, but the answer isn’t to start consuming pounds of it. Substituting small amounts for other desserts may be of some benefit.

In terms of nutrition, the reduced-sodium diet is still the gold standard for those with hypertension. Other important lifestyle measures include exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. And be sure to keep stress levels in check–one recent study showed that men with “high job strain” had significantly elevated blood pressure, even when other risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, were taken into account.

Learn more:
Get Your Healthy Heart Action Plan
The Best Supplements for Heart Health

Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.

Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.

More on Ask Dr. Brent (122 articles available)
More from Dr. Brent (127 articles available)

8 comments

8 comments

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8 comments add your comment
Ted L.
  • Ted L. says
  • Sep 17, 2009 9:05 AM

It Doesn't Matter Where You Start - It Matters Where You Finish!

There is a vast difference between dark chocolate and healthy chocolate. Dark chocolate is in virtually every case still cooked, just like regular chocolate, virtually destroying the majority of antioxidants and other fido-nutrients that were available in the original raw cacao. Identifying the health benefits of raw cacao is useless if the end product no longer contains the health benefits of the original ingredients.

Many companies add things to their chocolate like waxes, refined sugars, caffeines, preservatives, food coloring and other such things. Whether dark chocolate or not, you still end up eating these ingredients and may only gain marginal benefit with dark chocolate products.

One company that learned about this decided to do some research. They developed and patented a method known as cold-pressing. They take raw cacao, the world's highest antioxidant superfood and sweeten it with the world's second-highest antioxidant superfood, the açai berry. Then, they cold-press it to form healthy chocolate. No cooking of the raw cacao and you end up with the healthiest chocolate on the planet as a result! Both Diabetic and Vegan friendly too!

To learn more about pure, healthy chocolate, visit http://www.theworldsgreatestchocolate.com or email chocolate@theworldsgreatestchocolate.com.

Vural K.

thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner

Jana Sh
  • Jana Sh says
  • Aug 28, 2008 11:11 AM

Processed chocolate does little to reduce anything. You need to find organic raw c. they are very dark and bitter, takes a bit to get used to the lack of sugar, but when eaten with almonds or raisins or goji berries it tastes more like what we are sed to.hocolate- cocoa nibs or the raw beans to gtet the real benefit

sabrina t.

if anyone is looking for most effective HEALTHY chocolate which also includes Acai berries, visit azchocolatediva.com. Some other benefits might also include lowering cholesterol, improve insuline levels, loaded with antioxidants, scavenge free radicals, fights cancer, strengthen memory .....

Brent Ridge

All chocolate, including dark chocolate, contains a small amoung of a natural chemical called tyramine which is thought to trigger migraines. Other tyramine containing foods include soy products, avocadoes, beer, and aged cheeses.

Migraine triggers can be multi-fold and personal. What triggers your symptoms may not necessarily cause another migraine sufferer any harm. The best thing you can do is to figure out what your specific triggers are and try to avoid them.

The next time you feel a migraine coming on (and I know you may not feel like it at the time), try to do a quick survey of the events of the day: situations, smells, foods, etc

You may just find a “hidden” trigger.

Marta Montero

those are great news!!!!but , what about people who sufffer from migraines as I do?I have read that in gral chocolate is not good...please, tell me that black chocolate is the exception!!!thank you.

Cheryl B.

Hi Hans, you really do get around..I have high blood pressure, but sorry, I know I'm not normal..but I don't like CHOCOLATE..!! especially DARK CHOCOLATE..guess I'll have to stick to the red wine..

Hans L.
  • Hans L. says
  • Aug 21, 2008 2:33 AM

GOOD Dark Chocolate is good for your health!
You can eat as much as you like without getting fat!
Recent studies have shown that cocoa or dark chocolate has potent health benefits for people. Dark chocolate is full of the flavonoids epicatechin and gallic accid which are antioxidants that help protect blood vessels, promote cardiac health, and prevent cancer. It also has been effectively demonstrated to counteract mild hypertension. In fact, dark chocolate has more flavanoids than any other antioxidant-rich food such as red wine, green and black tea, and blueberries. healthy specialty chocolates: chocolate without added sugar, chocolate based on maltitol, chocolate without milk or lactose ingredients, organic chocolates and chocolate enriched with inulin and oligofructose.

Chocolate can play a healthy role in everyone’s life!

As long as you move your body you can enjoy chocolate as much as you like speaking of DARK Chocolate only! Pure dark sugar with at least 70% Cacao! Do you love chocolate? Check this more than chocolate he is one of the most creative chocolatiers!
http://www.zotter.at/about.html

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