Dark chocolate may improve glucose metabolism and decreases blood pressure

An editorial in the March issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recommends further study into the health benefits of dark chocolate (milk-free, low sugar).

They studied 15 healthy young adults with typical Italian diets that were supplemented daily with 100 g dark chocolate or 90 g white chocolate, each of which provided 480 kcal. The polyphenol contents of the dark and white chocolate were assumed to be 500 and 0 mg, respectively. The subjects were divided into 2 groups, each of which ingested one of the types of chocolate for 15 days, ingested no chocolate for a subsequent 7 days, and then ingested the other chocolate for an additional 15 days. The authors found that the dark chocolate supplement was associated with improved insulin resistance and sensitivity and decreased systolic blood pressure, whereas white chocolate had no effect. The findings of this study are of particular interest in terms of identifying potentially healthy foods.