Mixed
Habitual cocoa intake (median ~2.11 g/day, highest tertile ~4.18 g/day) is inversely associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure and significantly reduces 15-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in elderly men.
For elderly men without chronic heart or metabolic diseases, habitual consumption of small amounts of cocoa (approx. 2-4 grams of cocoa solids daily, roughly 10g of dark chocolate) is associated with lower blood pressure and significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular death over 15 years. This benefit appears specific to cocoa and is not seen with other sugary snacks like plain sugar confectionery.
In a cohort of elderly men, cocoa intake is inversely associated with blood pressure and 15-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
Why this rating
Observational cohort study with strong adjustment for confounders, but residual confounding (e.g., by physical activity or other dietary factors) cannot be fully ruled out.
Source
Cocoa intake, blood pressure, and cardiovascular mortality: the Zutphen Elderly Study.
Brian Buijsse et al. · PubMed · 2006
DOI 10.1001/archinte.166.4.411
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