Leave it to the Dutch to help demonstrate the health benefits of chocolate. A study of older men in The Netherlands, known for its luscious chocolate, indicated those who ate the equivalent of one-third of a chocolate bar every day had lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of death.
What’s the science behind the improvement in health?
This time, researchers examined the eating habits of 470 healthy men who were not taking blood pressure medicine. The men who ate the most products made from cocoa beans — including cocoa drinks, chocolate bars and chocolate pudding — had lower blood pressure and a 50 percent lower risk of death.Of course the study was of healthy men and there are a lot of women who want to know if it works for them too. According to Brian Buijsse, a nutritional epidemiologist at Wageningen University in The Netherlands, who co-authored the study
Cocoa beans contain flavanols, which are thought to increase nitric oxide in the blood and improve the function of blood vessels.
"If you look at the other interventional studies, you see the same effects in men and women, younger people and older people. It may be the findings are generalizable to women, but you never know."
I’m something of a binge chocoholic. I can go for days without but then find myself downing a 1-pound bag of M & Ms or box of malted milk balls in an afternoon.
Despite that, when I went in for surgery on my back and knee the doctors commented upon my low BP and pulse rate. Is there a connection? I hope so!
Via Yahoo! News
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