One ounce of dark chocolate per day lowered blood pressure 6 mm Hg, fasting blood sugar 8 mg/dl

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Friday, July 06, 2018 9:32 am Email this article

People with type 2 diabetes and hypertension who were given one ounce (25 grams) of dark chocolate per day had a 6 mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure (dropping from 137 to 131 mm Hg), a 6 mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure (dropping from 85 to 79 mm Hg), and an 8 mg/dl drop in fasting blood sugar (dropping from 138 to 130 mg/dl) over two months compared to people who given the same amount of white chocolate according to a study from the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran.

Subjects

Subjects: 60 type 2 diabetics with hypertension, 32 given dark chocolate, 28 given white chocolate

The study involved 60 type 2 diabetics with hypertension.

Thirty-two (32) were given one ounce of dark chocolate per day.

The other 28 were given one ounce of white chocolate per day.

Conclusion

Conclusion: Cocoa has potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in diabetic patients

“Our study clearly establishes improvements of blood pressure after regular consumption of flavanol-containing cocoa in patients with Type 2 diabetes, highlighting the potential of flavanol-containing diets, and underscoring their potential health care benefit for reducing the risk of cardiovascular events in diabetic patients,” the authors of the study concluded.

Reference

Rostami A, Khalili M, Haghighat N, Eghtesadi S, Shidfar F, Heidari I, Ebrahimpour-Koujan S, and Eghtesadi M. High-cocoa polyphenol-rich chocolate improves blood pressure in patients with diabetes and hypertension. ARYA Atheroscler, 2015 Jan; 11(1): 21-29.

Author’s Contact Info

Shahryar Eghtesadi
Professor, Department of Nutrition
School of Public Health
Iran University of Medical Sciences
Tehran, Iran
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Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Blood Pressure

• Blood sugar

• Chocolate (cocoa)

• Diabetes