Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate Improves Blood Pressure, Shrinks Waistline

Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg: Eat More Dark Chocolate!

A new research study released today in the medical journal Hypertension and in the American Heart Association publication Circulation says consumption of dark chocolate can lower your blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, and improve blood vessel function in people with hypertension.

Conducted by Dr. Jeffrey B. Blumberg from the Boston-based Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, the research examined 20 random subjects to eat either 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate or white chocolate for fifteen straight days.

All of the participants' vital signs were checked prior to the study, including their blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and blood vessel functions. The white chocolate was used as the constant because it is devoid of the flavonols found in dark chocolate, which the researchers believed would cause the eventual health improvements discovered.

Dark chocolate caused a significant drop in blood pressure and a reduction in the LDL "bad" cholesterol. These benefits of eating dark chocolate are expected to be good news for people who are susceptible to having a heart attack or stroke.

Nevertheless, Blumberg warns that people with high blood pressure need to be careful about eating large amounts of dark chocolate because it contains a high amount of fat and sugar which could ultimately negate the healthy benefits it offers.

"The findings do not suggest that people with high blood pressure should eat lots of dark chocolate in lieu of other important blood pressure-reduction methods, such as medication and exercise," Blumberg said in a statement. "Rather, we are identifying specific flavonoids that can have a benefit on blood pressure and insulin sensitivity."

For people following a low-carb way of eating or anyone interested in the health benefits of consuming a sugar-free version of dark chocolate, you can definitely eat your fair share of this bittersweet version of chocolate without the negative effects associated with overconsuming sugar.

Since dark chocolate is my personal favorite flavor, I have a vested interest in finding a healthy, sugar-free version that meets my need for this intriguing flavor. I have found it in the Dark Chocolate version of Z-Carb bars. In fact, you have three flavors to choose from: plain, with soy crisps, and with macadamia nuts. These low-carb candy bars are so rich in flavor and have as close to ZERO NET CARBS as you can possibly get. I have personally eaten as much as a pound of this chocolate in a day while livin' la vida low-carb! They are THAT good! And, in case you were wondering, they do NOT cause the gas that so many other sugar-free chocolate candies do with their maltitol-infested products.

Consuming sugar-free dark chocolate, such as Z-Carb, will not only improve your blood pressure and help prevent heart ailments, but will also help shrink your waistline. It helped me go from a 62 inch waist down to a size 40 in just one year as I lost 180 pounds with a low-carb lifestyle. You can read more about livin' la vida low-carb by clicking on this link to my blog.

You can e-mail Dr. Blumberg at jeffrey.blumberg@tufts.edu.