WAGENINGEN, Netherlands--Intake of cocoa is inversely associated with blood pressure and may inhibit cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, according to data from The Zutphen Elderly Study (Arch Intern Med, 166, 4:411-7, 2006).
At baseline and after five years, researchers measured blood pressure in 470 elderly men free of chronic diseases at enrollment. Causes of death were tracked during 15 years of follow-up. Habitual food consumption, including cocoa intake, was assessed by the cross-check dietary history method every five years (three assessments total). Median cocoa intake among those who consumed cocoa was 2.11 g/d. Mean systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in the highest tertile of cocoa intake were 3.7 mm Hg and 2.1 mm Hg lower, respectively, than blood pressure in the lowest tertile of cocoa intake. During follow-up, 314 men died; 152 of these fatalities were from cardiovascular diseases. Compared with the lowest tertile of cocoa intake, the adjusted relative risk for men in the highest tertile was 0.50 for cardiovascular mortality and 0.53 for all-cause mortality.
The researchers concluded cocoa intake is inversely associated with blood pressure and 15-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in a cohort of elderly men.
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