Dark Chocolate for Blood Pressure
and Weight Loss?
Can you eat dark chocolate for blood pressure?
- Could lowering your blood pressure be as easy as adding a cocao drink or a chocolate bar to your daily diet?
Yes, eating dark chocolate for blood pressure, say scientists, is certainly going to help.
- Not only does chocolate lower blood pressure in healthy people, but also in those with hypertension, coronary heart disease and heart failure.
- A moderate amount of dark chocolate eaten daily, can improve your heart health and your arteries.
- It does so by improving the inside of your blood vessels, or "endothelial function."
Your doctor may not know this, but researchers recommend this "moderate dosage" of chocolate for blood pressure:
- Either 2.5 grams of cocoa powder that is high flavanol
- Or 10 grams of low sugar high flavanol dark chocolate1
Medications or Chocolate for Blood Pressure?
Can dark chocolate lower blood pressure as well as medications such as Beta-blockers?
An analysis of studies by Dr. Dirk Taubert, published in The
Archives of Internal Medicine, found that:
- The effect of eating 3 and a
half ounces (100 gm) of chocolate a day was clinically significant in
comparison to that of Beta-blockers like atenolol (Tenormin), or
propranolol (Inderal).
- Dark chocolate is rich in polyphenols that help control blood pressure. Polyphenols are among the plant chemicals that make a diet that's rich in fruits and vegetables healthy.
The main dietary sources of ployphenols are tea and chocolate. But Dr. Taubert found that tea, including green tea was not effective -- none of the tea studies he reviewed showed a significant benefit.
- Dr. Taubert himself reports that he started to eat more dark chocolate, and that his blood pressure has gone down since!
Will Chocolate For Blood Pressure Make You Fat?
If you think that dark chocolate for blood pressure is going to put on weight, you may be surprised!
- Many of the drugs used to treat high blood pressure have been shown to make you GAIN weight.
If you are:
- Overweight and want to bring your blood pressure down
- Think you may have to go on anti-hypertension medication
- Prefer to bring your blood pressure down naturally
Here's why you will want to know your options:
Get Chocolate or Meds If You Need To Lose Weight?
Because of the calories in chocolate, you might have been told to instead, get a prescription to lower your blood pressure.
But, read on, and you might re-consider. Here's why:
- Beta-blockers, one of the drugs most commonly used for
hypertension.
- These have been shown to cause not only weight gain, but by decreasing metabolic rate by 10 per cent, they increase your risk for diabetes and weight gain.
(Commonly prescribed beta-blockers include brand names: Brevibloc, Coreg, Inderal Lopressor, Toprol-XL Normodyne, Trandate, Sectral, Tenormin and Zebeta. Or they could be called: isoprolol, carvedilol, propranolol, metoprolol, labetalol, acebutolol, or atenolol.)
- Several classes of anti depressants have also been shown to
increase body weight.
- So cheer up, because eating some chocolate may just benefit your
mood along with your blood pressure!
You will want to check with your doctor about any WEIGHT GAIN SIDE EFFECTS of your drugs.
Chocolate Weight Control for Blood Pressure?
Here's the good news about chocolate for blood pressure:
You don't have to worry about getting fat from eating some dark chocolate regularly!
- A recent study found that people who ate chocolate often,
WEIGHED LESS than those who did not, even when the chocolate eaters ate
MORE CALORIES!!
- Researchers found compounds in chocolate that actually stop weight gain!
- Cocoa has antioxidants called oligomeric procyanidins (PCs). These were found to improve glucose tolerance and keep weight down in a study with mice on a high fat diet.
- These cocoa flavenols have both anti obesity and anti diabetic qualities!
Eating a diet rich in fruits
and vegetables has just gotten easier for hypertension – by treating
your self to some quality dark chocolate every day.
Why a natural blood pressure supplement?
Is your doctor is still worried about your high blood pressure?
You may want to try an arginine (nitric oxide) heart health supplement before going on meds for the rest of your life.
- You will want a proven arginine supplement that can safely be taken with prescription medications.
Here's what to look for:
- All arginine supplements (top arginine nitric oxide supplements) may not be safe! Arginine needs to be BALANCED with with citruline and antioxidants to make it SAFE.
--------------------------------------------------
COMPARE here for best SAFE, cost effective formula
--------------------------------------------
Why try Dr. Harry's top-selling natural blood pressure supplement?
Shown scientifically to:
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol, "melt away" plaque, improve heart failure, diabetes and kidney function
SAFE blood pressure supplement to use WITH your medications!
------------------------------------------
WATCH videos and SEE articles
-------------------------------------------
We hope that you have been inspired to eat more dark chocolate for blood pressure.
If you still have high blood pressure, you may be able to avoid meds and losartan side effects by trying
-------------------------------------------
Sources:
1. Chocolate, High Blood Pressure and Heart Health
2. The DASH diet for lowering blood pressure, with high calcium and dairy, will work, along with having a delicious piece of dark chocolate every day!
Go to Health Discoveries HOME PAGE from Dark Chocolate for Blood Pressure
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.