What Are the Effects of Cocoa

Products on Hypertension?
By Leigh Ehrhardt

What is hypertension
Also commonly called high blood pressure
A condition in which the force of the blood against the artery walls is
too high

Problems of HBP

Vascular weakness
Vascular scarring
Increased risk of blood blots
Increased plaque build up
Tissue and organ damage from narrowed/blocked arteries
Increased workload on the circulator system

The American Heart Association states:

You may not feel that anything is wrong, but high blood pressure can permanently
damage your heart, brain, eyes and kidneys before you feel anything. High blood
pressure can often lead to heart attack and heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and
other health consequences.

How is it treated.

Eat a healthy diet, reducing salt intake

Regular physical activity
Maintain a healthy weight
Manage stress
Avoid tobacco products
Comply with medications
Limit alcohol intake

Cocoa products in research..

Cocoa products are one of the foods that are
being analyzed for potential health benefits
The key ingredient is: flavanol or
polyphenols
It has been suggested to have a powerful
effect on reducing hypertension and may be an
alternative non-pharmacological treatment for
the condition.
Multiple studies have been created to examine
different cocoa products on blood pressure
using a variety of trial participants.
Healthy,
pre-hypertensive,
hypertensive,
high risk for CVD,
pregnant women.

Dark chocolate or tomato extract for

prehypertension: a randomized controlled study
(2009)

Two phases: 6-month trial

36 pre-hypertensive healthy adults
Group 1: 50 grams per/day of dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
Group 2: 15 mg lycopene capsule per/day
750 mg polyphenols
Did not find a blood pressure lowering effect of dark chocolate or
tomato extract in a pre-hypertensive population.
Limitations:
Small sample size
Lack of a control group after 1st half
Did not assess specific polyphenol components

Regular consumption of cocoa powder with milk

increases HDL cholesterol(2012).

**Did not focus on blood pressure but on cholesterol level

4 week trial 42 high risk volunteers (1/2 were hypertensive)
Received 40 grams of cocoa powder with 500 ml of skilled milk/day
(c + m) vs. (m).
Total polyphenols: 495.2 mg
Did not have an effect on blood pressure (data provided)
Had a 5% increase in HDL & 14% decrease oxLDL concentration in
c+m
Limitation:
Short trial (no long term effects of cocoa on cardiovascular health)

Reduction in blood pressure and serum lipids by

lycosome formulation of dark chocolate and
lycopene in pre-hypertension (2014)
29 healthy volunteers aged 47-69 years
28 day oral intake of either 30 grams:
Regular dark chocolate
Lycopene added chocolate (L-tug)
Reg. + lycopene capsule

Results showed L-Tug reduction in blood pressure + cholesterol

Only this group had more than 1 reduction

Diastolic pressure (-6.22 mmHg)
Systolic pressure (-8.00) all groups had some statistical significant reduction)
Cholesterol reduced by -41 mg/dL

Limitation
Polyphenol amount not recorded
Short trial

Dose related effects of flavanol-rich cocoa

on blood pressure (2010)
**my favorite study**

Looked at different levels of polyphenols in cocoa beverage in 6

weeks
33, 372, 712, or 1052 mg/day
1052 mg/day (only reduction in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial BP)

52 male and post-menopausal female adults with high-normal BP or

untreated mild hypertension
High daily flavanol dose is required in order to achieve a reduction in BP

Limitation:
More research is needed to establish the most effective dose and food
matrix.

Comparison of studies that focused on

pregnancy
Potential effects of chocolate on human
pregnancy (2012)
12 weeks 90 women
Group A: 30 g of chocolate (70%
cocoa)
Group B: free to increase their diet
with other foods
Significant differences in
Diastolic (p=0.05)
Systolic (p<0.0001)
Limitation:
Polyphenol content not noted

Blood pressure and endothelial function

in healthy, pregnant women after acute
and daily consumption of flavanol.
(2013)
12 weeks 44 healthy, pregnant
women
High or low flavanol chocolate
20 grams of 400 mg polyphenols
No effect on BP
Limitation:
Possible low polyphenol levels

Research is promising.
1. Most of the trials were short and not long enough to see the real
potentials
2. Minimum Polyphenol levels need to be established
3. Adding dark chocolate to the diet could be easy and
manageable

Butmore research is needed.