Don’t be too surprised. Next time you’re feeling sick, your doctor may simply write on your prescription: “Eat two Hershey’s Kisses.”

A new research from Germany showed that dark chocolate seems to lower blood pressure, and it requires an amount less than two Hershey’s Kisses.

Hershey's Kisses

The latest research adds to mounting evidence linking dark chocolate with health benefits, but it’s the first to suggest that just a tiny amount may suffice.

Volunteers for the study ate just over 6 grams of dark chocolate daily for almost five months — one square from a German chocolate bar called Ritter Sport, equal to about 1 1/2 Hershey’s Kisses. People who ate that amount ended up with lower blood pressure readings than those who ate white chocolate.

University of Cologne researcher Dr. Dirk Taubert, the study’s lead author, said the blood pressure reductions with dark chocolate were small but still substantial enough to potentially reduce cardiovascular disease risks, although study volunteers weren’t followed long enough to measure that effect.

The research involved just 44 people aged 56 through 73, but the results echo other small studies of cocoa-containing foods. Cocoa contains flavanols, plant-based compounds that also are credited with giving red wine its heart-healthy benefits.

One problem is chocolate bars containing cocoa tend to have lots of calories, so Taubert and his colleagues tested small amounts containing just 30 calories each.

The study appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. It was funded by University Hospital in Cologne.

The results are interesting but need to be duplicated in larger, more ethnically diverse populations, said Dr. Laura Svetkey, director of Duke University’s Hypertension Center.

She stressed that the study results should not be viewed as license to gorge on chocolate.

“I would be as happy as the next person if I got to eat more chocolate,” she said, but cautioned that weight gain from eating large amounts of dark chocolate would counteract any benefits on blood pressure.

Oh well, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too, can you?

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4 Responses

  1. Lorie

    09|Jul|2007

    my gosh. i’m a self-confessed chocojunkie to the nth power. i can’t live a day without chocolate. if i run out of anything chocolate, i will eat ovaltine or milo. i prefer milo. boy oh boy i can’t wait to get to Manila and gorge in Shang’s choco buffet!!! eeeee!

    (sorry, the ravings of a rabid chocojunkie. :D)

  2. Jay

    13|Jul|2007

    Lorie, someday I’m going to build a pyramid like that in egypt — and made of chocolates! And it’s going to be the biggest wonder of the world! :-)

  3. Lorie

    28|Jul|2007

    haha! coolness! when you do, could you email, ym or text me so that i can take the first bite out of that pyramid?! hahahhaha!

  4. Jay

    28|Jul|2007

    Sure! You’ll be the first to get a bite of my choco pyramid! Hahaha!


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