Healing capability of Cocoa to reduce High Blood Pressure

According to German researchers, people who consume chocolate are less likely to suffer from high blood pressure than the ones' sipping cup of tea.(green or black tea, doesn't matter)

A new study revealed that chocolate, especially dark chocolate and other products which are considered to be cocoa-rich are better at lowering high blood pressure.

"Tea and cocoa products account for the major proportion of total polyphenol intake in Western countries," the authors write. "However, cocoa and tea are currently not implemented in cardioprotective or anti-hypertensive dietary advice, although both have been associated with lower incidences of cardiovascular events."

Researchers and scientists, in a study compared the effects of cocoa and tea at lowering blood pressure and established the fact that eating cocoa-rich foods brought down an average of 4.7 point systolic pressure and 2.8 point of diastolic pressure. On the contrary, no such result was found out when conducted a similar study on different types of tea.

Green tea was earlier considered to be effective in lowering blood pressure, both tea and cocoa contain antioxidants called polyphenols, but when further investigated, cocoa, apparently had a much higher level of polyphenols in it than tea. Polyphenols, as advised by doctors, remedy both heart diseases and high blood pressure.

The rich content of antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavanols, help in increasing blood flow to the brain and also keep the blood vessels relaxed, in return relieving blood pressure and stimulating blood circulation. These antioxidants persuade the body to produce nitric oxide, which helps in relaxation of the blood vessels.

These antioxidants are also present in vegetables such as broccoli and onions, but cocoa stands out in richness of content. A lot of these anti-oxidants are often destroyed while processing of cocoa beans to make different products such as chocolates; furthermore, chocolates cannot be a good alternative to cocoa beans, because of the high fat content, which makes it slightly harmful for people with high levels of cholesterol.

The antioxidants, Flavonoids, are often destroyed while processing of cocoa beans to make it taste better, as flavonoids taste bitter, therefore, lots of products boosting to have a high content of cocoa powder in them do not usually have the required anti-oxidants in them, which are helpful in lowering blood pressure.

As a result, it can be concluded that the right sort of cocoa holds the promise of stimulating brain function and relaxing brain vessels.

Studies have also shown that chocolate cuts the risk of heart attack by minimizing blood clotting in the same way as taking aspirin does.

Yet in another study by Yale Prevention Research Center in Connecticut showed that Flavanol - phytochemicals found in chocolates, fruits and vegetables, boost the function of vital endothelial cells that line up inside the blood vessels, thus decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to previous studies, flavonoid-rich foods are also known to boost the levels of nitric oxide in the blood of smokers and reverse some of their smoking-related impairment in blood vessel function.