Good news for dark chocolate lovers. Eating dark chocolate can now help lower blood pressure. A recent study was done by specialists in the US that says, dark chocolate will actually help in lowering your blood pressure. This could be just the boost you need help you in your battle with hypertension, and it's natural.



Flavinoids, or antioxidants, as many people know them, are the ingredient that is found in food that help lower blood pressure. Tea and red wine are a couple of foods that we already knew could help in lowering blood pressure due to these natural antioxidants. Know we can add dark chocolate to this list as well.

The study was conducted at a University in Italy that is known for its hypertension studies. Twenty people were involved in this study. All twenty people, ten female and ten male, suffer from hypertension, but had no other disease. The subjects were not on any medication or treatment plan for their high blood pressure, and none of them smoke. These people also had to avoid chocolate two weeks prior to the study so that accurate results and conclusions could be drawn from the study.

To start the study the participants were split up into two groups with five men and five women in each. The blood pressure of each subject was taken and recorded for comparison with the end results. For 15 days one group got a 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar a day, and the other group got a 3.5 oz white chocolate bar a day. After the 15 days both groups went a week without chocolate, and then the groups switched which kind of candy bar they were getting. The only difference in the candy bars is that the white chocolate does not contain any flavinoids.

When the next 15 days were up the subjects' readings were taken again. The group that ate the white chocolate had no differences in their readings. There was a drop in pressure in the group that did have the dark chocolate. The group that ate the dark chocolate also experienced a 10% drop in their bad cholesterol levels, and a reduction in their insulin resistance.

If you do suffer from hypertension you should talk to your doctor and find the best treatment for you. Each person is different, and you may require other treatment. Diet and exercise are the best natural way to control this issue. Prescription medication is also needed in many cases. You should not stop your current treatment and try just eating dark chocolate every day, but you may want to think about adding it to your diet once a week. In addition to helping control hypertension, dark chocolate is good for your taste buds and your heart.