Lee Swanson Research Update

Cocoa Flavanols Appear to Decrease Blood Pressure

March 2010

A new study out of Australia says regular consumption of cocoa flavanols may decrease blood pressure in people with mild hypertension, but only at high doses.

Daily doses of cocoa flavanols up to 712 mg failed to produce any blood pressure benefits, but a higher dose of 1,052 mg produced significant blood pressure improvements, according to findings published in the Journal of Hypertension.

"These findings suggest that blood pressure can be lowered through the regular consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa beverages, although higher levels of cocoa flavanols may be required than has been observed with the consumption of chocolate-based cocoa flavanol-rich products," wrote the researchers, led by Kade Davison.

The Australian researchers recruited 32 men and 20 post-menopausal women with untreated mild hypertension, defined as blood pressure between 130/85 and 160/100 mmHg. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive one of four doses of a flavanol-rich cocoa beverage for six weeks in a double-blind, parallel comparison. The doses used by the researchers were 33 mg, 372 mg, 712 mg or 1,052 mg per day of flavanols. At the end of the study, only participants receiving the highest dose of cocoa flavanols experienced significant reductions in blood pressure of 5.3 and 3 mmHg for systolic and diastolic pressure, respectively.

"This study supports the potential for cocoa flavanols to lower blood pressure, but further research is required to determine the extent of antihypertensive benefit that can be achieved with different dietary sources and doses of flavanols in various cardiovascular pathologies," the researchers concluded.

Journal of Hypertension Published online ahead of print.
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