Micronutrients & recovery
Consumption of flavanol-rich dark chocolate (100g/day containing 88mg flavanols) for 15 days significantly reduces 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity in patients with essential hypertension.
For individuals with mild hypertension, consuming 100g of high-flavanol dark chocolate daily (substituting for other foods to maintain calorie balance) for two weeks can significantly lower blood pressure and improve insulin sensitivity. This benefit is specific to dark chocolate with high flavanol content, not white chocolate or standard commercial chocolate.
Ambulatory BP decreased after DC (24-hour systolic BP (-11.9+/-7.7 mm Hg, P<0.0001; 24-hour diastolic BP (-8.5+/-5.0 mm Hg, P<0.0001) but not WC. DC but not WC decreased HOMA-IR (P<0.0001)... In summary, DC decreased BP and serum LDL cholesterol, improved FMD, and ameliorated insulin sensitivity in hypertensives.
Why this rating
Randomized, double-blind, crossover trial in a specific clinical population (n=20), though sample size is small.
Source
Cocoa Reduces Blood Pressure and Insulin Resistance and Improves Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Hypertensives
Davide Grassi et al. · Hypertension · 2005
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