Eating a small portion of dark chocolate every day may help lower blood pressure. Researchers randomly assigned 44 adults with hypertension to eat 30 calories worth of dark chocolate daily for 18 weeks. In that period, blood pressure among those who ate white chocolate remained the same. But those who ate dark chocolate saw small reductions. Their systolic pressure decreased by an average of nearly 3mmHg, and their diastolic pressure decreased by almost 2mmHg. But don’t binge on chocolate. Though the studies participants did not gain weight, regularly eating large amounts would certainly pack on pounds.
Annette Karnash
