Chocolate Every Day Will Keep the Doctor Away

Posted on July 3, 2007  Comments (1)

We need more news like this: A Bite of Chocolate a Day May Keep Blood Pressure at Bay:

Chocolate lovers can rejoice again: More research has found that the antioxidants in dark chocolate can help slightly lower blood pressure. But the good news comes with a caveat — the chocolate portions have to be limited to 30 calories a day, which works out to slightly more than one Hershey’s Kiss.

Such small amounts of the flavanol-rich cocoa found in dark chocolate “may be a promising behavioral approach to lower blood pressure in individuals with above-optimal blood pressure,” the German researchers reported in their study. Unlimited quantities of chocolate won’t work, they added, because “the potential blood pressure reduction contributed by the flavanols could be offset by the high sugar, fat and calorie intake with the cocoa products.”

Ok, I’ll admit I am eating a bit more than that but I have cut back my Mountain Dew from 2 day a couple years ago to maybe 3 a week now so I figure I have some leeway 🙂 Remember it has to be the dark chocolate with flavanol – given the recent positive press those the packaging usually makes the point of mentioning that the good stuff is included if it is.

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One Response to “Chocolate Every Day Will Keep the Doctor Away”

  1. Madeline Binder
    July 11th, 2007 @ 10:56 am

    I eat more either. It’s so hard to say no to delicious food like chocolates, no matter what the effect is in our health. But it’s nice to hear that chocolate is also beneficial. Dark chocolate has antioxidant which can help slightly lower blood pressure. But of course, too much of it causes diabetes also. So, chocolates should be eaten in moderate amount a little bigger than Hershey’s Kiss. Anything that is taken in excessive amount is dangerous, don’t you think?

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