Chocolate to Lower Blood Pressure

it's funny how you'll listen to songs again and find a few stanzas more relevant then ever...always liked the Eagles, (along with Iggy Pop and God knows what else) and this popped up at me the other day...

Take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don't even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
And take it easy

Sorry for the corny lyrics...anyway, saw this article and thought of a few people here who might have high blood pressure issues, Jim and Tator maybe? I might be confused...anyway, here it is...

A nibble a day of dark chocolate helped lower blood pressure without packing on the pounds, German researchers said on Tuesday.
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Prior studies have shown foods rich in cocoa like dark chocolate offer heart benefits, but researchers have worried the added sugar, fat and calories would cancel out any good the chocolate might do.

Now it seems just a 30-calorie (0.126 kilojoule) bite of dark chocolate -- equivalent to 6.8 grammes or a quarter ounce -- can lower blood pressure without weight gain or other negative side effects.

"Regular intake of small amounts of dark chocolate can help to lower blood pressure," said Dr. Dirk Taubert of University Hospital of Cologne, Germany, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dark chocolate contains polyphenols -- a group of chemical substances that are believed to carry health benefits.

Taubert and colleagues studied 44 adults aged 56 to 73 with hypertension but no other health problems between January 2005 and December 2006.

Participants were randomly selected to receive a single, 30-calorie square of dark chocolate containing 30 mg of polyphenols or a 30-calorie square of white chocolate that had no polyphenols.

After 18 weeks, the dark chocolate group experienced a 3 point drop in systolic blood pressure -- the top reading -- and a 2 point drop in diastolic blood pressure -- the bottom reading -- without changes in body weight, cholesterol or blood sugar.

"At first glance, this reduction may seem very low, but on a population basis, that means if everyone would experience this blood pressure reduction, the risk of cardiovascular death would be reduced by about 5 percent," Taubert said in a telephone interview.

"Chocolate may be helpful for reducing blood pressure and therefore, the risk of heart attack and stroke," he said.

[pigeonca]

That's the best news of the day - and a great reason to go out and buy some candy.  I heard on the news that two Hershey's kisses a day will do the job.

[orphanedhawk]

Yes, delicious preventive medicine, my favorite. Yum!

[goldyn]

Im one of those that are now having to fight high blood pressure, and i luv luv luv dark chocolate, and the eagles, man if i could just have them together always i woulndt need those daggum meds.........

[Forseegood]

a good friend of mine just gave me this beautiful Navajo healing prayer...no matter what your beliefs, I think wonderful...

In the house made of dawn.
In the story made of dawn.  On the trail of dawn.
O, Talking God.
His feet, my feet, restore.
His limbs, my limbs, restore.
His body, my body, restore.
His mind, my mind, restore.
His voice, my voice, restore.
His plumes, my plumes, restore.
With beauty before him, with beauty before me.
With beauty behind him, with beauty behind me.
With beauty above him, with beauty above me.
With beauty below him, with beauty below me.
With beauty around him, with beauty around me.
With pollen beautiful in his voice, with pollen beautiful in my voice.
It is finished in beauty.  It is finished in beauty.
In the house of evening light.
From the story made of evening light.
On the trail of evening light.

[Forseegood]

are so sweet...let's celebrate today, I'm having frozen yogurt with choco sprinkles...!

[Forseegood]

if you liked it, then I'm sending it to you and your wonderful son...