Alternative Health Blog

Sweet news for any of us with hot cocoa or dark chocolate habit. German researchers have found that cocoa-rich foods can help reduce blood pressure. Not as good news for tea drinkers: The same study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, offers that tea does not have a similar effect on blood pressure.

The researchers were quick to point out that their findings don’t mean it is open season on chocolate, but that substituting dark chocolate (look for at least 70 percent cocoa content) for “other high-calorie or high-fat desserts or dairy products” is a healthy idea.

That’s where hot cocoa enters. You can find unsweetened cocoa powders that when stirred in warm milk (use can use a frothing whip for the best blending) creates an ideal bedtime snack—both to drop blood pressure and enhance sleep. Think of it as the right sort of multi-tasking.

Note to wine drinkers: It’s actually best to have your I-deserve-it glass earlier in the evening (otherwise it can disrupt your sleep, especially the second half of each night), then switch over to cocoa for a nightcap. Some couples who try this find that their conversations become more tender and meaningful in the process. A good cup of cocoa can do that to a person.

The cocoa-blood pressure is a new development. Fruits and vegetables are more widely associated with having natural plant ingredients that lower BP and enhance other facets of cardiovascular health.

The German study, conducted at the University Hospital of Cologne, reported a reduction in both systolic (the top number, indicating heart contraction) and diastolic (bottom number, when the heart relaxes) pressures. Compared to non-cocoa drinkers the systolic was, on average, 5 mm Hg less for cocoa drinkers. The diastolic number was 3 mm Hg lower, on average. If that doesn’t sound like much, consider that blood pressure prescription medications accomplish basically the same effect.

“These reductions would be expected to reduce the risk of stroke by about 20 percent, coronary disease by 10 percent and all-cause mortality by 8 percent.”

Not bad for a mug of nighttime beverage that can change more than just your physical life.