CHOC FULL OF GOODNESS

Research suggests cocoa may lower blood pressure

Joanne Yap
joanne@mediacorp.com.sg

Here's good news for chocolate lovers: Results of a recent study have
found that food with a high cocoa content, such as dark chocolate, might
be beneficial in lowering one's blood pressure.

Researchers at the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany found that
consuming even small quantities of cocoa-rich foods helps bring both
systolic and diastolic (top and bottom numbers in a blood pressure
reading) pressure levels down by as much as an average of 4.7 and 2.8
points, respectively.

According to Ms Nehal Kamdar, a dietitian at Raffles Hospital, cocoa is
good for one's health because it contains natural antioxidant compounds,
known as polyphenols and flavanoids.

This antioxidant protection also extends to the heart as the fat content
in cocoa butter (stearic acid) exerts a neutral cholesterolemic response.

By comparing earlier studies conducted on the effects that green tea
registers on blood pressure levels, a food that also contains polyphenols,
the researchers at the university concluded that cocoa had much more of an
impact on reducing one's high blood pressure.

In fact, the results of imbibing cocoa were found to be similar to the
effect that patients experienced from being on a one-drug therapy for
their condition.

Based on these findings, the researchers approximated that the effects of
cocoa could be expected to reduce heart disease by 10 per cent, stroke by
20 per cent, and death from all causes by 8 per cent.

In addition, researchers at the Netherlands' Centre for Nutrition and
Health, which studied the cocoa intake of 470 elderly men over 15 years,
also found that a higher amount of cocoa in one's diet was linked to lower
blood pressure levels and a reduced risk of death among the participants.

But before you pile the shopping trolley high with bars of chocolate and
cans of cocoa, Ms Kamdar cautioned against overindulging.

This is because cocoa products, while rich in antioxidants, are also high
in sugar, calorie and fat content. Too much can thus have the reverse
effect - putting on weight from all that chocolate puts one at risk of
increased blood pressure.

And not all things cocoa are beneficial. The rule of thumb is that the
higher the cocoa content in the product, the better it is.

Hence, dark chocolate, which has as much as 80 per cent of cocoa solids
added, is better than milk chocolate, which usually contains less than 20
per cent of the solids.

The good news, however, is that one need not consume large amounts of
cocoa-rich products to have an effect. Eating about 10g of dark chocolate
(equivalent in size to a cube of chicken stock) every day, for example, is
sufficient to see the benefits on one's blood pressure levels.

Ms Kamdar advised: "Eating 50g of dark chocolate once or twice a week is
sufficient, as having too much of it leads to weight gain.

"Chocolate should be included as part of a whole meal plan, as one can
also get polyphenols by eating more fruits and vegetables, which are good
sources of the antioxidant."

Additional foods that are beneficial for people with high blood pressure
include low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and
nuts.

Doctors also advise cutting back on salt and making sure your diet has
adequate potassium (found in yoghurt, cauliflower, salmon, broccoli) as an
inadequate amount could raise blood pressure.

And while regular exercise helps lower blood pressure, smoking could cause
as much as a 20-point spike in systolic blood pressure levels, so it is
best to stay away from cigarettes and alcohol.

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i think serene will be glad to see this news..becoz she is dark chocolate lover..so all the lover for chocolate can sae Hooray!