Another reason to eat chocolate -- blood pressure

Reuters ^ | July 18, 2005 | Reuters

[QQQQQ]

This is pretty interesting. Recently a number of studies showed various benefits from eating dark chocolate.

But to have 3.5 oz of chocolate reduce blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) by 12 and 9 points respectively is quite impressive.

This is remarkable too:

"Eating dark chocolate also seemed to improve how the body used insulin, and reduced low density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol by about 10 percent on average."

[Polyxene]

I just knew there had to be a good reason I love dark chocolate! MMMMMMM!!!!

[knittnmom]

As if we need reasons to eat chocolate! (Other than the one given for climbing a mountain - because it's there!)

[Pearls Before Swine]

Am I glad to read this!

There was a chocolate study reported a couple of weeks ago which measured the short-term response to chocolate on vascular elasticity in young, athletic subjects. It was positive, but short-term.

This result is much more interesting to this middle-aged Freeper.

[Izzy Dunne]

I was a T-shirt the other day:

Save the Earth!
It's the only planet that has chocolate!

[Pearls Before Swine]

I meant to add to my post that the earlier study said you had to get the really dark 70% stuff, not the Hershey's garden variety milk chocolate, to get the positive result. Trader Joe's has that.

[goodnesswins]

OKAY....so...where's the best source for Dark Chocolate....I've been buying some at a local grocery store, but think I could get better.....in BULK!!!

[Izzy Dunne]

Dang it!

I saw a T-shirt the other day:

Save the Earth!
It's the only planet that has chocolate!

[Millee]

[najida]

Well that explains my low-normal BP.

he he he....

[RosieCotton]

Perfect food ping...

I think I'd better pick up a bar of this stuff...just for my health, ya know.

[meowmeow]

My blood pressure yesterday was 80/50. Maybe I've been overdoing it!

On the bright side, I could eat a salt lick and it wouldn't affect me.

[Das Outsider]

Flavonoids--should have known. Quite a different picture from the one we got as kids: high fat, high cholesterol (HDL, it was said), could lead to diabetes, etc.

[theFIRMbss]

>Another reason to eat chocolate -- blood pressure

Yeah, but if I try
to eat 3 onces a day,
I'll start eating 6,

then fourteen, sixteen
and soon it's two pounds a day . . .
I have to say No!

[tob2]

I much prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate and simply adore white chocolate. However, as a type 2 diabetic, have to go really easy on this delicious stuff.

[WestCoastGal]

Oh happy day!!

ping

[Bacon Man]

Time to visit my 2nd favorite grocery isle!

[Abathar]

Please, for the love of God and all things good DON'T tell my wife about this study, I beg you! She is addicted now, telling her that the stuff is actually good for her is like giving a loaded gun to a chimp, it may be fun to watch, but nothing good can really come from it, and I would hate to have to start greasing the door jams all the time.

[QQQQQ]

I found this. I think this is about as high a cocoa content as you can get.

[steve86]

Unfortunately, for "supertasters" like me, dark chocolate is an abomination.

But to a supertaster, the taste is overpoweringly bitter: Some researchers believe supertasters experience flavors with three times the intensity of others.

Above quote actually in reference to "PROP", a chemical used to distinguish supertasters, but describes dark chocolate as well.