There’s so much to learn from our ancestors.
They used to live in harmony with Mother Nature. Their food was never
artificial, they had the privilege of breathing clean air and their sleep was
not interrupted by stressful jobs or sky-high bills. That’s why chronic and
degenerative diseases are a relatively new issue in the history of mankind.
Cocoa was a commodity in Mesoamerica before the
Spanish conquest. The cocoa bean was even considered a currency at that time
and Spaniards were amazed by its delicious taste upon their arrival in America.
Being fully aware of the therapeutic properties of cocoa, Aztecs used it to
treat several ailments in mixtures with oils from trees. In 1944, a group of
researchers found that the Kuna Indians from the San Blas Islands of Panama
drank 3 to 4 cups of cocoa a day and had lower blood pressure than continental Kuna
people who no longer drank cocoa. Today, several clinical trials have proved
that cacao can actually lower blood pressure, although most chocolate products
available in the market are not recommended for this purpose.
Chocolate: friend or foe?
High blood pressure is a risk factor for
cardiovascular disease. Medicine and lifestyle changes, such as shifting to balanced
diet and maintaining a healthy weight, are necessary to control blood pressure.
While a low sodium diet is usually recommended by physicians, I cannot stress
enough the importance of incorporating polyphenols to your diet. Cocoa is rich
in epicatechin and catechin flavonols that prevent oxidation of the endothelium
– the internal lining of the blood vessels – and promote vasodilation by
increasing nitrous oxide production and blocking angiotensin-converting enzyme,
all of which play an important role in treating hypertension, heart failure and
angina. This means cocoa nutrients have the therapeutic activity of three or
more different drugs!
If you are a chocolate lover with high blood
pressure you should definitely consider eating dark chocolate with a high
percentage of cacao (above 70%). In fact 50 g of cocoa per day can help reduce
systolic blood pressure by 3.7 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 2.7 mmHg. Some
studies suggest lower cacao contents in chocolate work but unfortunately, many chocolate
bars and other products have minimum cocoa content and are rich in sugar and
saturated fat. Moreover, as their cacao content is much lower than 50%, they
won’t have such healthy effect and could contrarily contribute to cardiovascular
risk.
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| Dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. Taken from thestoryofchocolate.com |
It’s not a myth! Chocolate is good
for you
The Zutphen Elderly Study taught us a lot about
habitual cocoa intake. This study assessed cocoa consumption of 470 elderly men
as well as their blood pressure and causes of death over a period of 15 years.
Men who regularly took cocoa were found to have lower blood pressure and were
less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases. Similarly, the Iowa Women’s
Health Study evaluated the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and causes of
death of more than 34,000 women during 16 years of follow up. Eating chocolate
was specifically associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular
diseases again.
Moreover, a German study in more than 19,000
participants found that consumption of as little as 6 grams of chocolate per
day reduced the risk of heart attacks and stroke by 40%, partly through
lowering blood pressure. Some other studies have confirmed chocolate lowers the
risk of heart failure and plaque buildup in the coronary arteries.
Benefits beyond the heart
Chocolate is also able to:
· - Increase HDL cholesterol in Type 2 diabetes
patients and protection of LDL cholesterol against oxidation (see how to tacklehigh cholesterol from every angle)
- Enhance positive mood and reduced anxiety
- Increase blood flow to the brain, improving oxygenation
- Modulate intestinal inflammation
- Prevent blood clots (aspirin-like effect)
- Enhance positive mood and reduced anxiety
- Increase blood flow to the brain, improving oxygenation
- Modulate intestinal inflammation
- Prevent blood clots (aspirin-like effect)
Potential health benefits
- Cancer prevention and inhibition of cancerous cells' growth (see how green tea protects against cancer)
- Skin care
- Prevention and control of chronic inflammatory diseases (read about lessening the severity of autoimmune diseases)
- Anti-diabetic effects
There you go! As a final remark, I’d like to
say you can always enjoy the good things of life without regrets. Just find
good quality chocolate and have it or drink it daily – and always remember to share it with
your loved ones. I think the world would
simply be a better place with more dark chocolate and less sugar.
Benefits beyond the heart
If you are more attracted to the scientific
background, you may want to read the following papers:
Buijsse B, Feskens EJ, Kok FJ, Kromhout D. Cocoa intake, blood pressure,
and cardiovascular mortality: the Zutphen Elderly Study. Arch Intern Med.
2006;27;166(4):411-7. 5 Mink PJ,
CG, Barraj LM, Harnack L, Hong CP, Nettleton JA, Jacobs DR Jr. Flavonoid
intake and cardiovascular disease mortality: a prospective study in
postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85(3):895-909.
Buijsse B, Weikert C, Drogan D, Bergmann M, Boeing H. Chocolate
consumption in relation to blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease in
German adults. Eur Heart J. 2010;31(13):1616- 23
