Dark Chocolate May Reduce Blood Pressure

For years, researchers have suspected that flavonoids, found in such foods as fruits, vegetables, tea, red wine and chocolate, were good for our cardiovascular systems. Now the first clinical study to look at the relationship of dark chocolate and blood pressure has found persuasive evidence that eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day could lower blood pressure and improve insulin resistence.  The study, written by Jeffrey Blumberg of Tufts University in Boston, looked at two groups of 10 men and 10 women with slightly elevated blood pressure. For 15 days, half ate a daily 3.5-ounce bar of
flavonoid-rich dark chocolate, while the other half ate the same amount
of white chocolate, which has similar ingredients but no flavonoids.   The
researchers found a 12 mm Hg decrease in systolic blood pressure and a
9 mm Hg decrease in diastolic blood pressure in the dark chocolate
group, while blood pressure did not decrease in the white
chocolate group. Read more on San Diego.com.