New study shows that cocoa is powerful when it comes to blood pressure health
United Kingdom — Studies continue to show that cocoa flavanols can lower blood pressure and arterial stiffness just like the best blood pressure medications.
Chocolate that contains higher levels of cocoa are the most beneficial — but thoughts of using cocoa for lowering blood pressure should be discussed with your doctor first.
A team from the University of Surrey says their study is one of the first to look at cocoa consumption and its impact on the heart in a real-world scenario.
“High blood pressure and arterial stiffness increases a person’s risk of heart disease and strokes, so it is crucial that we investigate innovative ways to treat such conditions,” says Christian Heiss, a professor of cardiovascular medicine, in a university release.
“Before we even consider introducing cocoa into clinical practices, we need to test if the results previously reported in laboratory settings safely translate into real-world settings, with people going about their everyday lives.”
Your gut loves metabolizing chocolate
In their study, 11 healthy people consumed six cocoa flavanol capsules or six placebo capsules on alternate days for a week. Each participant received an upper arm blood pressure monitor and a finger clip measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV) — which gauges a patient’s arterial stiffness.
Moreover, the study was also the first to find an additional peak in cocoa’s beneficial effect eight hours after consumption. The team believes this second peak in the readings likely has a connection to how bacteria in the gut metabolizes cocoa flavanols.
“The positive impact cocoa flavanols have on our cardiovascular system, in particular, blood vessel function and blood pressure, is undeniable.
Doctors often fear that some blood pressure tablets can decrease the blood pressure too much on some days,” Prof. Heiss concludes.
“What we have found indicates that cocoa flavanols only decrease blood pressure if it is elevated.
The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
