Giving people 3.5 oz of dark chocolate per day decreased blood pressure 4.7 mm Hg / 2.8 mm Hg

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Sunday, December 25, 2016 1:57 pm Email this article

Giving people cocoa, an average of 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of dark chocolate per day, for a median of two (2) weeks lowered blood pressure by an average of 4.7 mm Hg systolic (the upper number) and 2.8 mm Hg diastolic (the lower number) compared to those who were not given cocoa according to a meta-analysis of five (5) randomized controlled studies of cocoa administration involving a total of 173 subjects.

“Current randomized dietary studies indicate that consumption of foods rich in cocoa may reduce blood pressure,” the authors of the paper concluded.

Reference

Taubert D, Roesen R, and Schomig E. Effect of cocoa and tea intake on blood pressure: a meta-analysis. Arch Intern Med, 2007 Apr 09; 167(7): 626-634.

Author’s Contact Info

Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD
Department of Pharmacology
University Hospital of Cologne
Gleueler Str 24
D-50931 Cologne, Germany
dirk.taubert @medizin.uni-koeln.de

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Blood Pressure

• Chocolate (cocoa)