Can Dark Chocolate Lower Your Blood Pressure?

As the old saying might go, "if it tastes good, then it must be bad," but not dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is good for your body. Dark chocolate is considered as healthy chocolate. It has been proven that dark chocolates not only lower your blood pressure, but it also fights hearts diseases and diabetes. In fact, researchers report that dark chocolate lowers the blood pressure by an average of 10 percent.

Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants which knock back free radicals and destructive molecules that are associated in high blood pressure. Researchers claim that foods that are rich with antioxidants improve the blood pressure by facilitating in the expansion and in the contraction of the lining of the blood vessels in order to control the flow of blood more effectively. These antioxidants are known as flavanoids. Flavanoids have a healthy effect on blood vessels as well as glucose metabolism. Flavanoids are a larger family of compounds that are also found in the seeds and skins of plants, specifically fruits and vegetables, such as grapes and citrus fruits, as well as cocoa.

In a study on how dark chocolate affects one's blood pressure, researchers compared the effect of adding a hundred grams of dark chocolate and ninety grams of white chocolate in the normal diets of 10 men and 10 women. The participants had to eat the dark chocolate for 15 days. The participants all had high blood pressure; however, none of them were taking any medications for their blood pressure. In the study, five of the men and five of the women ate dark chocolates whereas the others ate white chocolate for a week. After that, the participants were given a week of no chocolate. The groups then interchanged for another week, the other eating the other's chocolates of the first week. In the range of 15 days of eating the dark chocolate, the participants displayed a drop in their systolic blood pressure with an average of 11.9 mm Hg and in their diastolic blood pressure, an average drop of 8.5 mm Hg. However, there was no drop in blood pressure during the weeks of eating the white chocolates.

In another recent study, researchers concluded that milk get in the way with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolates, therefore, counteracting the prospective health benefits that may come from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate.

But this is still no reason to go on a chocolate spree. Moderation is still very important especially for those who have reached a certain age as chocolate is still very rich in fat, sugar and extra calories. If you love chocolate that much, this certainly is good news that chocolate is still good for your health. You can nibble a small portion, approximately an ounce, of dark chocolate, not milk or white. Still, do not replace healthy foods like fruits and vegetables with chocolate. They are still the best in maintaining good health for your body.