4/13/2007 - Cocoa may lower blood pressure, study suggests Compounds found in cocoa may help lower people's blood pressure, according to an analysis of previously published research. The compounds, known as polyphenols or flavenoids, are also found in tea. But the research found that drinking tea doesn't appear to improve blood pressure. For the analysis, which appears in the Archives of Internal Medicine, German researchers looked at the results of 10 studies—five on cocoa's effects on blood pressure and five involving tea. The cocoa studies involved 173 people, with 87 people assigned to consume cocoa and the rest serving as a control group. The studies lasted for an average of two weeks. In four of the five studies, participants reported a reduction in both systolic (the top number in a blood pressure reading) and diastolic (the bottom number) blood pressure. Researchers found that people who consumed cocoa had an average of 4.7 mm Hg lower systolic levels and 2.8 mm Hg lower diastolic levels than people who didn't consume cocoa. The tea studies involved 343 people—171 who drank tea and 172 who did not—and lasted for an average of four weeks. Drinking tea was not associated with a reduction in blood pressure in any of the studies. While tea and cocoa are both rich in polyphenols, the specific compounds they contain differ. Black and green teas contain more flavan-3-ols, and cocoa contains more of another type of polyphenol called procyanids. Researchers said the findings suggest that not all plant phenols affect blood pressure in the same way. While the findings don't mean that people should necessarily eat more cocoa to try and lower their blood pressure, the researchers suggested that phenol-rich cocoa products, such as dark chocolate, may be a good substitute for other high-calorie or high-fat desserts or dairy products. "We believe that any dietary advice must account for the high sugar, fat and calorie intake with most cocoa products," the authors wrote. "Rationally applied, cocoa products might be considered part of dietary approaches to lower hypertension." ”Still, more research is needed to show exactly how cocoa might affect blood pressure, and how much cocoa a person would need to eat to get such a benefit." Back