[constitution]

?I eat chocolate maybe two times a week,? said high blood pressure patient Jens Chemnitz.

But there might be a better reason than taste to eat dark chocolate more often.

According to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, eating a daily piece of dark chocolate -- in the size of quarter-ounce pieces -- could help lower systolic blood pressure by almost three units, and the diastolic blood pressure by almost two units.

Dr. Dirk Taubert of the University Hospital of Cologne said, ?We were indeed surprised that such a low amount of chocolate could efficiently reduce the blood pressure.?

Taubert and his colleagues studied 44 otherwise healthy people with high blood pressure for 18 weeks.

Half of the people received dark chocolate daily, while the other half received white chocolate daily.

No one gained weight, but only the dark chocolate eaters saw their blood pressure come down.

?Our study provides sufficient evidence to recommend low amounts of polyphenol-rich dark chocolate as an addition to a healthy diet,? said Taubert.

Polyphenols are chemicals found in plants, including cocoa. One way to tell if you?re eating polyphenols is by the bitter taste.

?There's a simple rule. The bitterer the chocolate tastes, the more polyphenols chocolate will contain,? said Taubert.

Chemnitz said, ?I would try a piece of chocolate a day, definitely.?

Doctors said to be sure to speak with a physician about the best way to improve blood pressure levels.

Taubert said polyphenols in dark chocolate seemed to increase the production of a substance in the body called nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to widen, making more room for the blood to flow and lowering blood pressure.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/kgtv/20070703/lo_kgtv/13617760

apparently its just a vasodialator so it doesn't really lower BP, it's a temp drug effect.

best way to lower? AMA says!! exercise!

[columbo]

I don't know if I can believe this but I eat dark chocolate a lot. If it's true, good, if not, at least it tastes good.

[constitution]

^ ahah definitely ;)

[JSN]

yu have to love such retarded, enabling, research?

should i cut back on animal products, reduce teh salt, eliminate trans fat, severely reduce saturated fats, increase fiber, lower total calories, exercize more? meh just eat a small amount of dark chocolate.

[Diplomatt]

Too much Chocolate gives me headaches.

[constitution]

^ thats the caf in the chocolate