Does Dark Chocolate Help Reduce Blood Pressure?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

The evidence suggests that dark chocolate, particularly those rich in flavanols, can effectively reduce blood pressure in hypertensive and prehypertensive individuals. These benefits are accompanied by improvements in insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles, making dark chocolate a potentially valuable addition to a heart-healthy diet. However, further long-term studies are needed to establish the optimal dosage and duration for sustained cardiovascular benefits.

Dark chocolate, particularly those rich in flavanols, has garnered significant attention for its potential health benefits, including its effects on cardiovascular health. This article explores the evidence supporting the role of dark chocolate in reducing blood pressure, a critical risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Mechanisms of Action

Flavanols, the active compounds in dark chocolate, are believed to enhance nitric oxide bioavailability, which promotes vasodilation and subsequently lowers blood pressure. These compounds also exhibit antioxidant properties that protect the vascular endothelium and improve insulin sensitivity, further contributing to cardiovascular health1 2 7.

Evidence from Clinical Trials

Several clinical trials have investigated the impact of dark chocolate on blood pressure:

1. Hypertensive Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance: A study involving hypertensive patients with impaired glucose tolerance found that consuming flavanol-rich dark chocolate (FRDC) significantly decreased both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The study also reported improvements in insulin sensitivity and endothelial function1.
2. Essential Hypertension: Another trial with patients suffering from essential hypertension demonstrated that daily consumption of dark chocolate led to a significant reduction in 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure. The study also noted improvements in insulin resistance and flow-mediated dilation (FMD)2.
3. Meta-Analyses: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials concluded that dark chocolate and flavanol-rich cocoa products significantly reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive and prehypertensive individuals. However, the effect was not significant in normotensive individuals3 4 7.

Long-Term Effects and Dosage

The duration and dosage of dark chocolate consumption play crucial roles in its effectiveness:

• Short-Term vs. Long-Term: Short-term studies (up to 4 weeks) have shown promising results in reducing blood pressure. However, longer-term studies are needed to confirm these findings and determine the optimal duration for sustained benefits5 6.
• Dosage: The effective daily dose of flavanols varies across studies, ranging from 30 mg to 1000 mg. Higher doses of flavanols (≥900 mg) or epicatechin (≥100 mg) have been associated with more significant reductions in blood pressure4.

Additional Health Benefits

In addition to lowering blood pressure, dark chocolate consumption has been linked to other cardiovascular benefits:

• Lipid Profile: Dark chocolate has been shown to reduce serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol levels, which are critical factors in cardiovascular health5 9.
• Insulin Sensitivity: Improvements in insulin sensitivity and reductions in insulin resistance have been consistently observed in studies involving dark chocolate consumption1 2 8.

Does dark chocolate help reduce blood pressure?

Roger Corder has answered Uncertain

An expert from Queen Mary University of London in Cardiovascular Disease, Nutrition, Diabetes

I would like to answer this question by first making it clear that all dark chocolates are not equal as there are variable levels of flavanols and only high flavanol dark chocolates have shown consistent evidence of potential to lower blood pressure. However, for individuals who are generally healthy, even high flavanol dark chocolate is unlikely to have any effect on blood pressure. Here’s some references to support this perspective:

Ried K, Sullivan TR, Fakler P, Frank OR, Stocks NP. Effect of cocoa on blood pressure. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012;8 [CD008893].

High flavanol dark chocolate may have other effects that are beneficial to cardiovascular health:

Rull G, Mohd-Zain ZN, Shiel J, Lundberg MH, Collier DJ, Johnston A, Warner TD, Corder R. Effects of high flavanol dark chocolate on cardiovascular function and platelet aggregation. Vascul Pharmacol. 2015 Aug;71:70-8.