A Bittersweet Solution For High Blood Pressure
A statistical analysis of 15 previous studies has found that people with hypertension, or high blood pressure, can significantly reduce their blood pressure readings by ingesting dark chocolate, due to its high flavanol content.
The flavanols dilate blood vessels thus dropping pressure. The benefit translates to a lowering of the systolic reading – the upper number in your blood pressure reading – by 5 points. That may not seem like much but it is comparable to the blood pressure benefit of 30 minutes of physical activity a day (a reduction of 4-9 points) and over five years, could cut the risk of a cardiovascular event by as much as 20 percent.
However, a reduction in readings was seen only in those with hypertension and not in those with normal readings. Also, the study team questioned the “practicality” of using chocolate or cocoa as a treatment for high blood pressure. Released June 28, ahead of being published in an upcoming issue of the open-access journal BMC Medicine, full details of this study can be read online at: http://bit.ly/aoc9LF.
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