Healthiest chocolate to buy this Easter that reduces high blood pressure

27 March 2024 , 12:49

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Many Brits will be enjoying Easter eggs this weekend (Image: Getty Images)

Brits indulging in Easter eggs this weekend will be glad to know that there is actually a chocolate that reduces high blood pressure.

Heart attacks and strokes are both possible consequences of people having high blood pressure, or hypertension, with arteries losing stretchiness or narrowing which makes it easier for the build up of fatty materials. It can also lead to other conditions including kidney failure, problems with your sight and vascular dementia.

“Your blood pressure naturally goes up and down throughout the day and night, and it’s normal for it to go up while you’re moving about. It’s when your overall blood pressure is always high, even when you are resting, that you need to do something about it,” states the British Heart Foundation.

But for people feeling guilty about enjoying their Easter eggs, scientists have found evidence suggesting that dark chocolate could decrease the risk of blood clots by reducing high blood pressure. Previous research has shown that there are health benefits from dark chocolate, due to for example its flavanol content, and the reduction of inflammation.

But this new study by Shaoxing and Zhuji People’s Hospitals in China specifically has looked at whether dark chocolate can reduce hypertension using genetic profiles that can establish cause and effect. Data was used from the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit with the genetic profiles of 64,945 people of European descent and associations were attempted to be found between the chocolate and hypertension.

People using Terry's chocolate orange packaging for stand branded 'genius'

And it did find significant association between regular dark chocolate consumption and a reduction in the risk of high blood pressure but the link has not been established paving the way for further research.

"Previous intervention studies have shown some benefits of dark chocolate for the cardiovascular system, but it has not been established whether dark chocolate intake is associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). To investigate the causality between dark chocolate intake and the risk of CVDs, a Mendelian randomization (MR) (gene profiling) study was conducted," stated the report published in nature.com.

“Our study provides evidence for a causality between dark chocolate intake and a reduced risk of EH, which has important implications for the prevention of EH in the population.” It added: “However, no association was found between dark chocolate intake and the other ten CVDs.”

Tim Hanlon