Posts Tagged Lower Blood Pressure
Cocoa May Lower Blood Pressure
A new home remedy for lowering blood pressure may be to eat cocoa daily! Harvard professor Norman Hollenberg has found evidence that cocoa rich in flavanols, antioxidant compounds found in cocoa beans, improves blood flow which may help people fighting a range of diseases, including hypertension. (Cromie)
His discovery began as a study into the genetics of a small, isolated Caribbean Indian tribe in which hypertension was virtually nonexistent. He quickly found that their resistance was not genetic, as tribe members who had integrated themselves into other societies no longer had the same resistance to high blood pressure. Hollenberg decided to study the lifestyle of the Kuna tribe, “The most outstanding finding was the fact that most them consume cocoa as their major drink and do so every day,” according to Hollenberg, “Many Kuna, in that hot and humid climate, probably drink more than five cups per day.” (Cromie)
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Self Medicate With Chocolate
Joy means Health. David Wolfe wrote about the astonishing truth behind the worlds greatest food. A bliss chemical called Anandamide is released when we eat cacao-rich foods. It is like the feeling of falling in love. No wonder we have all loved chocolate in one point of our lives. How can you even say no to such sweet escape? When one feels good and happy, one stays healthy.
What’s the story behind this superfood? Cacao, a much revered miracle food from the Central Americas, was loved by the Mayans and used as a great offering to the Aztec gods. The Theobroma Cacao tree can grow up to 7-8 meters. It produces an almost pear-shaped fruit that is reddish-yellow in color on the tree and becoming brown when dried. This exotic fruit is cultivated to produce the finest super health seed known as the cocoa bean.
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cocoa lowers blood pressure
Yes. That’s right. You knew there was a reason you subscribed to this blog. Finally, a study you can sink your teeth into: regular consumption of cocoa (via dark chocolate) has been shown to lower blood pressure without causing weight gain, increasing cholesterol or glucose levels. And it’s believed to be due to a phytochemical (phyto = “plant”) in cocoa called polyphenol.
The study, published in Journal of the American Medical Association (2007;298:49-60), randomly assigned men and women with hypertension to receive either 6.3 g (30 kcal) per day of dark chocolate containing 30 mg of polyphenols or the same amount of polyphenol-free white chocolate. After 18 weeks, researchers found those participants consuming dark chocolate had significantly lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. Overall, the prevalence of high blood pressure declined from 86% to 68% in this group. No changes were observed in the white chocolate group (white chocolate does not contain any cocoa).
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