Lower Blood Pressure by Eating Chocolate

Chocolate has been linked to lowering blood pressure, decreased risk of heart disease and now, in a new study, a lower risk of stroke in women.

Even better, women are more soluble in brown, the lower their stroke risk, Swedish researchers found. For every increase of 50 grams (1.8-oz.) In the consumption of chocolate per week, overall stroke risk dropped 14% of participants. The protective effect appeared to kick in at 45 g (1.6 oz.) Chocolate week, with women in the highest consumption group - (. Oz 2.4) who ate an average of 66.5 g, or between one and two chocolate bars a week - enjoy a 20% lower risk of stroke than those who ate little.

When broken down by type of stroke - ischemic, which occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to
the brain is blocked by a clot, versus hemorrhagic, which occurs when a blood vessel weakens and bursts in the brain - the protective benefits of chocolate varies. Each increase of 50 grams per week in chocolate consumption was associated with a 27% reduction in risk of hemorrhagic stroke, compared with 12% lower risk of stroke caused by clotting.