Heart Healthy Dark Chocolate

When we think of Christmas we think of cookies, candy and all of the treats that go with the holiday. There are studies that prove that you too, can enjoy Dark Chocolate treats.

If you have high blood pressure, or problems with your heart ask your health care provider about the benefits of Dark Chocolate.

On August 27th, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that a university in Germany has studied the effects of dark chocolate on lowering blood pressure.

The study shows that eating dark chocolate in moderation tends to lower mild cases of high blood pressure. In the study men and women ages 55-64 ate 100-grams of dark chocolate which contains 480 calories for a period of two weeks. At the end of the study there was a 2-point drop in the diastolic blood pressure and 5-points in the systolic pressure.

This in no way says that you can eat all of the dark chocolate you want. You will have to cut calories in other areas.

Dark chocolate contains (Antioxidants) that absorb free radicals and destructive molecules that are found in heart disease and high blood pressure patents.

Milk chocolate does not offer the same absorption effects as dark chocolate. The study shows that drinking milk while eating dark chocolate causes the same interference

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/298/1/49