Chocolate may reduce blood pressure and enhance attention.
Chocolate and its principal component, cocoa, are derived from the cacao tree. A wide range of beneficial health effects have been ascribed to consumption of chocolate, especially dark chocolate, which is rich in bioactive compounds that exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective properties. Evidence from a 2015 study suggests that chocolate reduces blood pressure and influences electrical activity in the brain.
Some of the beneficial effects of chocolate and cocoa may be related to their capacity to promote nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide is a potent endogenous vasodilator that plays important roles in blood pressure regulation. Chocolate and cocoa also contain anandamide, a cannabinoid compound that binds to receptors in the brain and alters brain activity and mood.
The study involved 122 healthy adults (aged 18 to 25 years). The investigators randomly assigned the participants to receive one of six interventions: high (60 percent) cacao chocolate, low (0 percent) cacao chocolate, high cacao chocolate plus L-theanine (an amino acid with anti-anxiety effects), high-sugar water, low-sugar water, or plain water. Participants ate breakfast and then fasted four hours prior to the intervention. The investigators measured the participants' brain activity (via electroencephalogram, EEG), blood pressures, and moods before and one hour after participants consumed their respective interventions.
They found that compared to water alone, high cacao chocolate increased diastolic blood pressure. However, high cacao plus L-theanine reduced both diastolic and systolic pressures as much as 8 mmHg. The high cacao chocolate also increased brain activity related to arousal and decreased brain activity related to deactivation.
These findings suggest that in combination with L-theanine, chocolate reduces blood pressure. Chocolate also stimulates brain activity, potentially influencing processes involved in attention.
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