Overweight? Cocoa May Cut Blood Pressure

Study: Dark Chocolate Bar, Cocoa Drinks May Lower Blood Pressure in Overweight Adults

By Miranda Hitti

WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

July 11, 2008 -- Cocoa, either in a dark chocolate bar or as a hot drink, may reduce blood pressure in overweight adults.

That's what happened in a recent study of 45 healthy adults with BMI (body mass index) near the borderline between overweight and obese.

The researchers -- who included David L. Katz, MD, MPH, of the Yale Prevention Research Center -- gave some of the participants a dark chocolate bar containing 22 grams of cocoa. Other participants got a bar containing no cocoa.

Before-and-after blood pressure and ultrasound tests showed better blood pressure and better blood vessel function after participants ate the dark chocolate bar, compared to the cocoa-free bar.

Likewise, blood pressure and blood vessel function improved after participants drank two cups of cocoa, compared with drinking a beverage containing no cocoa.

How the cocoa drink was sweetened mattered. When it contained sugar, blood pressure and blood vessel function didn't improve as much as when the cocoa was sugar-free.

Katz and colleagues reason that in the sugary cocoa drink -- which contained about 45 grams of sugar per serving -- the sugar may have offset cocoa's effects to some degree.

The study -- published in the July 1 edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition -- was partly sponsored by the Hershey Company.

Of course, eating too much chocolate or drinking too much cocoa isn't a great idea. Blow your calorie budget and extra pounds will pile up, which is bad for your blood pressure.

I have been eating the cocoa (either powdered or as high cocoa content dark chocolate) for its anti-oxidant qualities. Interesting news that sugar diminishes some of the benefits. Almost all the bars have sugar and the powder doesn't taste good without sugar or honey. Also be aware there is a study showing you should not mix the cocoa with milk, either as milk chocolate or with a meal with milk with the chocolate. I had been eating it with a milk based breakfast, now switched to another time of day. You only need 6 grams of a very high cocoa content dark chocolate bar. I think the dose for the powder is about a tablespoon. Important: do not bother with DUTCHED chocolate. Most of the benefits are destroyed by the dutching process, which does make the product taste better.

The best way to lower blood pressure, apart from reviewing your lifestyle in relation to diet and exercise, is to consume garlic every day. If you don't like the taste, you can obtain it in capsule form from any good health shop.

As well as lowering BP, it is excellent for digestion and also helps to reduce [bad type] cholesterol.

The best way to lower blood pressure, apart from reviewing your lifestyle in relation to diet and exercise, is to consume garlic every day. If you don't like the taste, you can obtain it in capsule form from any good health shop.

As well as lowering BP, it is excellent for digestion and also helps to reduce [bad type] cholesterol.

Garlic is great, but there is alot of evidence about the many health benefits of small daily doses of chocolate, so why not? The only caveat is that if you are adding 50 calories in chocolate, you need to cut out some other calorie source, after all, this is the too fat forum.