Researchers from Shaoxing People’s Hospital and Shaoxing University in China found that eating dark chocolate may reduce the risk of developing essential hypertension. results published In Scientific Reports.
In their study, Chinese scientists monitored the cause-effect relationship between dark chocolate consumption and the risk of cardiovascular diseases using the Mendelian randomization method. It is based on the study of the impact of various genetic variations on the final outcome, which can be understood, for example, as risk factors for various diseases.
First, scientists collected health data and biological materials from 64,945 Europeans. The researchers also evaluated the participants’ eating habits. They then analyzed the information to determine the causal relationship between genetically predicted levels of dark chocolate consumption and the risk of developing 12 cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, heart attack, atrial fibrillation, venous thrombosis, hypertension and stroke.
The results showed that consuming dark chocolate significantly reduced the risk of essential hypertension. This is a disease characterized by a persistent increase in blood pressure in the absence of pathological changes in the kidneys and other systems. Unlike other types of hypertension (renovascular, secondary), all pressure fluctuations are observed due to heart problems or lack of vascular tone. No significant relationship was observed between dark chocolate consumption and the risk of other cardiovascular diseases.
It is possible that the flavanols (plant compounds) found in dark chocolate may improve endothelial function by increasing the release of nitric oxide, increase vascular elasticity, and prevent platelet adhesion.
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