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Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Blood Pressure Lowered by Just Small Amounts of Dark
Chocolate
Small enough to avoid weight gain - good news for millions of
senior citizens
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Percent of senior citizens with high blood
pressure - 2003-04 - Centers for Disease Control
Green = Men
Gold = Women |
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July 5, 2007 High blood pressure, or
hypertension, is the leading chronic disease for senior citizens,
affecting over half of all those age 65 or
older. It presents on on-going battle for those afflicted, but here is
news to make their life a little sweeter eating about 30 calories of
dark chocolate daily will lower their blood pressure, without adding
inches to their waistline.
The new study, published in the July 4 issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), points out that it
had already been known that eating foods containing cocoa can lower
blood pressure (BP). The news is that it does not take a lot.
This lowering of BP from cocoa is believed to be
due to the action of the cocoa polyphenols (a group of chemical
substances found in plants, some of which, such as the flavanols, are
believed to be beneficial to health).
A particular concern is that the potential BP
reduction contributed by the flavanols could be offset by the high
sugar, fat and calorie intake with the cocoa products, the authors
write. The effect of low cocoa intake on BP is unclear.
Dirk Taubert, M.D., Ph.D., of University Hospital
of Cologne, Germany, and colleagues assessed the effects of low regular
amounts of cocoa on BP.
The trial, conducted between January 2005 and
December 2006, included 44 adults (age 56 through 73 years; 24 women, 20
men) with untreated upper-range prehypertension (BP 130/85 139/89) or
stage 1 hypertension (BP 140/90 160/100).
Participants were randomly assigned to receive for
18 weeks either 6.3 g (30 calories) per day of dark chocolate containing
30 mg polyphenols or matching polyphenol-free white chocolate.
The researchers found that from baseline to 18
weeks, dark chocolate intake reduced average systolic BP by −2.9 (1.6)
mm Hg and diastolic BP by −1.9 (1.0) mm Hg without changes in body
weight, plasma levels of lipids or glucose.
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Watch Video |
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Small Amounts of Dark Chocolate Lower Blood
Pressure without Weight Gain
July 5,2007-A new study suggests that eating daily, small
amounts of dark chocolate can help lower some peoples blood pressure.
Mavis Prall explains in this weeks JAMA Report.
>>
Click here to View JAMA Video
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Hypertension prevalence declined from 86 percent to
68 percent. Systolic and diastolic BP remained unchanged throughout the
treatment period among those in the white chocolate group.
Dark chocolate consumption resulted in the
short-term appearance of cocoa phenols in plasma and increased
vasodilatory S-nitrosoglutathione. There was no change in plasma
biomarkers in the white chocolate group.
Although the magnitude of the BP reduction was
small, the effects are clinically noteworthy. On a population basis, it
has been estimated that a 3-mm Hg reduction in systolic BP would reduce
the relative risk of stroke mortality by 8 percent, of coronary artery
disease mortality by 5 percent, and of all-cause mortality by 4
percent, the authors write.
The most intriguing finding of this study is that
small amounts of commercial cocoa confectionary convey a similar
BP-lowering potential compared with comprehensive dietary modifications
that have proven efficacy to reduce cardiovascular event rate.
Whereas long-term adherence to complex behavioral
changes is often low and requires continuous counseling, adoption of
small amounts of flavanol-rich cocoa into the habitual diet is a dietary
modification that is easy to adhere to and therefore may be a promising
behavioral approach to lower blood pressure in individuals with
above-optimal blood pressure.
Future studies should evaluate the effects of dark
chocolate in other populations and evaluate long-term outcomes, the
authors conclude.
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