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New study reveals how dark chocolate can reduce risk of common blood pressure condition
A new study has found that eating dark chocolate could help lower the risk of a very common medical condition.
Essential hypertension is defined as high blood pressure that is not caused by another medical condition. Although it has no symptoms, can be extremely damaging. Risk factors like poor diet, smoking, and obesity put someone at a far higher risk of essential hypertension.
Researchers from hospitals in China however have found through a 2024 study, published in the Scientific Reports journal, that swapping out other sweet treats and snacks for dark chocolate is likely to help lower the risk.
Dark chocolate could help with essential hypertension
The study looked at the relationship between dark chocolate and the risks of 12 cardiovascular diseases. Those diseases were heart failure, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, non-rheumatic valve disease, non-ischemic cardiopathy, essential hypertension, venous thromboembolism, deep vein thrombosis, stroke, ischemic stroke, and transient ischemic attack
Researchers found that dark chocolate intake was heavily associated with the reduction of the risk of essential hypertension, along with a suggested association with the reduced risk of venous thromboembolism. Venous thromboembolism occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein.
The study however found no links between the intake of dark chocolate and the other 10 cardiovascular diseases.
Why dark chocolate would reduce the risk of essential hypertension
Its primarily believed that flavanols present in dark chocolate are what cause the benefits of dark chocolate when it comes to essential hypertension. Flavanols are able to cause the release of nitric oxide which in turn triggers a process leading to vasodilation -which allows more blood to flow through blood vessels and thus lowers blood pressue.
The consumption of dark chocolate is also able to improve endothelial function, which is also believed to be due to flavanols in the chocolate. Those flavanols are also able to inhibit platelet aggregation by promoting the release of nitric oxide, according to the study.
Flabanols are also found to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which are essential for a healthy cardiovascular system.
Still, you shouldnt rely on dark chocolate
Essential hypertension is managed by lowering blood pressure, often through lifestyle changes or even medications – though rare, some experience no change despite trying medications.
Although the study found that dark chocolate can be beneficial in lowering the risk of essential hypertension, researchers do not recommend that people rely on it for prevention.
Rather, [we] suggest that individuals at risk for EH can replace their usual unhealthy snacks with dark chocolate, reads the study.
It is important to note that lowering blood pressure does not completely equate to reducing the risk of EH, as many risk factors for hypertension may lead to physiological and histological changes in the body that cannot be reversed by simply lowering blood pressure.
