There may be some truth to it, as suggested by a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The authors of “Effect of Cocoa and Tea Intake on Blood Pressure” (2007) report that their “meta-analysis study showed that the cocoa diets reduced systolic blood pressure by 4.7 mm Hg, and reduced diastolic blood pressure by 2.8 mm Hg. This magnitude of reduction in blood pressure is considered to be ‘statistically significant.’”
Although the authors note that “an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is recommended as a first-line therapeutic approach in current hypertension control guidelines,” they also conclude that “current randomized dietary studies indicate that consumption of foods rich in cocoa may reduce blood pressure, while tea intake appears to have no effect.”
While this doesn’t mean you should embark on a candy bar diet, it might let you better enjoy a phenol-rich cocoa food like dark chocolate once in a while.
Yours in health,
Evergreen Chiropractic
1666 E Olive Way
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 323-1666
www.evergreenchiropractic.com
Reference; Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD; Renate Roesen, PhD; Edgar Schömig, MD. Effect of Cocoa and Tea Intake on Blood Pressure. Archives of Internal Medicine. Vol. 167 No. 7, April 9, 2007, pp. 626-634
