How Does Chocolate Reduce Blood Pressure?

Introduction

• According to the American Heart Association, approximately 73.6 million Americans are believed to have high blood pressure. The main causes of high blood pressure in America usually revolves around obesity and poor diet. To combat this epidemic, people have turned to a variety of naturally occurring substances in order to try and reverse the problem. One of these substances is chocolate, more specifically dark chocolate.
  
  

Active Ingredient

• Dark chocolate is believed to help reduce blood pressure by an ingredient called flavonoids. Flavonoids are a naturally occurring substance that can be found in the skin of the cocoa bean. What makes dark chocolate dark is the additional percentage of cocoa in the finished product. The more cocoa in the product, the more flavonoid-containing skin in the final product.
  
  

How They Work

• The flavonoids in chocolate work in two main ways. First, they reduce the ability of platelets being able to stick together. When platelets stick together, they form clots. These clots block the passage of blood through the blood vessels, which increases the pressure inside the vessels. Flavonoids also help the arteries stay dilated by helping the arterial muscles relax. The more dilated the arteries are, the greater amount of blood that can flow through them. As arteries become constricted, the flow is blocked, which raises the amount of pressure in the artery.
  
  

Dangers

• Like anything else, chocolate is only good for you in moderation. Chocolate is also high in calories, which can contribute to obesity. Obesity can then cause blood pressure to increase, which cancels out the benefits of eating chocolate in the first place. It is not recommended to consume more than 3.5 ounces of chocolate in a day.