Giving chocolate on this Valentine’s Day can help keep love alive - and the lovers, as well. The evidence is growing that dark chocolate, in moderate amounts, conveys several health benefits, and the latest good news is that regular intake appears to lower blood pressure.
Between January 2005 and December 2006, 44 hypertensive German volunteers, ages 55 to 75 and in otherwise good health, took part in an 18-week study. About half were randomly assigned to eat 6.3 grams daily of dark chocolate; the other half ate a 5.6 gram portion of white chocolate. By the end of the test period, the participants eating dark chocolate had statistically significant reductions in blood pressure (systolic pressure declined by a mean of 2.4 mm Hg, diastolic by 1.3 mm Hg). In the white chocolate group, blood pressure remained unchanged. Researchers speculated that the difference was due to the 30 mg of polyphenols in each dark chocolate “dose”; the white chocolate was polyphenol-free.
The lesson here is not to gorge on dark chocolate: 6.3 grams is less than one-quarter of an ounce, and eating more of this calorie-dense food could lead to unwanted weight gain. But a little dark chocolate daily does indeed appear to be a healthful treat.
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Vitamin D and High Blood Pressure
More blood pressure news: If you’re running low on vitamin D, more than your bones are in trouble - you might also be at risk for hypertension. A study published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that low blood concentrations of vitamin D were associated with higher blood pressure in Caucasians (the same didn’t hold true in this study among African Americans). Researchers from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta checked blood pressure and vitamin D status among 7,699 adults. They found that 61 percent of the whites and 92 percent of the blacks participating in the study were vitamin D deficient, but that whites whose levels of “D” were sufficient had a 20 percent lower increase in age-associated systolic blood pressure (the top number). However, the study didn’t determine whether or not taking vitamin D supplements would lower blood pressure. The investigators did note that vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in the United States and that it is easily corrected by taking supplements or increasing your exposure to sunlight.
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Worrying about Your Weight Could Be Unhealthy
The stress of feeling too fat may be harder on your health than the extra pounds. That’s the word from researchers from Columbia University in New York City after checking data on more than 170,000 people who had reported their actual weight, what they considered their “ideal” weight and the number of days in the previous month that they felt that either their mental or physical health wasn’t as good as it could be. The study suggested that the more dissatisfied participants were with their weight, the more bad days he or she had. Women who wanted to drop only one percent of their body weight had 0.1 more unhealthy days than those who described their weight as ideal. Women who felt they had to lose 10 percent of their body weight reported 1.6 unhealthy days a month and those who wanted to lose 20 percent reported 4.3 unhealthy days. Men who thought they should lose 10 percent of their weight reported having 0.9 bad days; those who wanted to lose 20 percent of their weight had 2.7 bad days. The study was published in the March 2008 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
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Vegetable and Tofu Stir Fry
If tofu is prepared right, it's delicious. If not, it can taste like rubber. Tofu is curdled soy milk that has been pressed in a process similar to making cheese. You'll find tofu in natural food stores and many supermarkets these days.
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Healthy Aging Tip
Courtesy of Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging
Improving Life Satisfaction: Eat a Healthful Diet. Fad diets are more popular than ever, and outlandish products claiming to promote weight loss are ubiquitous - but aren't likely to work. Instead, plan and eat a healthful diet like the anti-inflammatory diet on Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging.
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