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Despite a high salt diet, the Kuna Indians who live on islands off the coast of Panama, have normal blood pressure. Harvard Medical School’s Dr Norman K. Hollenberg attributes this to the large quantities of locally grown cocoa they also consume, and the high levels of flavonoids it contains. When Kuna move to a city and switch to commercial processed cocoas with fewer flavonoids, their blood pressure tends to rise.

The chocolate company Mars has patented a flavonoid-rich chocolate called Cocoapro, which it now includes in its Dove dark chocolate bar, in M&M’s and in CocoaVia Snacks. In a study part funded by Mars, Norman and colleagues found that Cocoapro appeared to help the body regulate its production of nitric oxide, a compound which helps maintain blood pressure and blood flow in the endothelial cells which line the blood vessels. The flavonoids may also help vessels dilate and keep blood platelets from clustering on the blood vessel walls.

Ed.- Fresh cocoa bean is far richer in flavonoids. It contains about 100 milligrams per gram(mg/g), compared to Cocoapro powder (50mg/g) and Dove dark chocolate (5mg/g). Flavonoids, also found in high quantities in red wine and green tea, have also been shown to improve the circulation and reduce the risk of heart disease.