{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='New study shows that chocolate is good for lowering blood pressure' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54be4cd8eafeecae13a8cb' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54be4cd8eafeecae13a8cb' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nNew study shows that chocolate is good for lowering blood pressure\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eAP TelevisionParis, France April 10, 20091. Mid shot of chocolate eggs arranged under a glass shelf, tilt up to wide of busy shop2. Mid shot of boxed Easter eggs3. Close zoom out showing giant chocolate egg, cocoa pod and leaf on a giant...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eParis, France April 10, 2009\u003cbr/\u003e1. Mid shot of chocolate eggs arranged under a glass shelf, tilt up to wide of busy shop\u003cbr/\u003e2. Mid shot of boxed Easter eggs\u003cbr/\u003e3. Close zoom out showing giant chocolate egg, cocoa pod and leaf on a giant bar of chocolate\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eNuthetal, Germany, March 30, 2010\u003cbr/\u003e4. SOUNDBITE: (English), Dr. Brian Buijsse, nutritional epidemiologist, German Institute of Human Nutrition \u003cbr/\u003e\"Especially their risk of stroke was lower and that could be explained by blood pressure, because high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and also stroke, but it''s higher for stroke.\"\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eParis, France April 10, 2009\u003cbr/\u003e5. Close up of the man breaking open the chocolate egg\u003cbr/\u003e6. Mid shot of man tasting chocolate\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eRome, Italy, April 3, 2007\u003cbr/\u003e7. Mid shot exterior of various decorated Easter eggs in chocolate shop window\u003cbr/\u003e8. Close tilt up of eggs\u003cbr/\u003e9. Wide interior of chocolate shop \u003cbr/\u003e10. Mid shot tilt down of woman shaking toffee mould \u003cbr/\u003e11. Close up of mould being shaken\u003cbr/\u003e12. Close up of woman making chocolates\u003cbr/\u003e13. Close up of a vat of melted chocolate being whisked \u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eNuthetal, Germany, March 30, 2010\u003cbr/\u003e14. SOUNDBITE: (English), Dr. Brian Buijsse, nutritional epidemiologist, German Institute of Human Nutrition \u003cbr/\u003e\"Chocolate contains very high amounts of sugar and fat and therefore many calories, right ? And nowadays many people have overweight and obesity and these are also risk factors for high blood pressure and heart disease, right ? So we do not want people to gain weight right? But if we would make a recommendation in the future, then it will be something that if you eat a low amount of chocolate, that should replace something else, like other sugar sweets, or snacks that also contain many calories.\"\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eRome, Italy, April 3, 2007\u003cbr/\u003e15. Close up of dipped chocolates being placed on table to set\u003cbr/\u003e16. Close up of sweet shape being dipped into vat of melted chocolate \u003cbr/\u003e17. Mid shot of chocolate egg display\u003cbr/\u003e18. Various close up mini eggs\u003cbr/\u003e19. Wide of shop assistant wrapping egg for customer\u003cbr/\u003e20. Close up of gold foil wrapping being trimmed around egg \u003cbr/\u003e21. Medium close of assistant \u003cbr/\u003e22. Close up of egg being wrapped in gold foil\u003cbr/\u003eA chocolate a day really does help to keep the doctor away according to German scientists.\u003cbr/\u003eThat''s good news for many people around the world preparing to eat chocolate eggs this Easter.\u003cbr/\u003eEaster means feasting on chocolate....and concerns about calories and sugar consummation often get forgotten. \u003cbr/\u003eNow chocolate lovers can be reassured that eating chocolate every day can actually improve your health.\u003cbr/\u003eA ten year study published by German scientists in the European Heart Journal today (Wednesday 31 March) claims just one small square of chocolate a day can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. \u003cbr/\u003ePrevious studies have suggested dark chocolate in small amounts could be good for you, but this is the first study to track its effects over such a long period of time.\u003cbr/\u003eThey tracked nearly twenty thousand people between the ages of 35 and 65.\u003cbr/\u003eThose that ate the most, around 7.5 grams (0.26 ounces) of chocolate a day, had lower blood pressure compared to those who ate the least, about 1.7 grams (0.06 ounces) each day. \u003cbr/\u003eDr. Brian Buijsse is a nutritional epidemiologist  at the German Institute of Human Nutrition and lead researcher of the study. \u003cbr/\u003eThe team also found that  people who ate more chocolate also had a 39% lower risk of having a heart attack, or stroke.\u003cbr/\u003eBuijsse says \"they had a lower blood pressure and they also had a lower risk of heart disease and stroke and especially their risk of stroke was lower and that could be explained by blood pressure, because high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and also stroke, but it''s higher for stroke.\"\u003cbr/\u003eThe difference between the two groups amounts to six grams of chocolate, less than one small square of a 100g (3.5 ounce) bar, or one of these little mini eggs.   \u003cbr/\u003eScientists believe there would have been 85 fewer heart attacks in their study group if everyone was eating 7.5 grams (0.26 ounces) of chocolate every day,\u003cbr/\u003eBut there''s also a word of caution before you bite into your much anticipated Easter bunny.\u003cbr/\u003eSweet centres and creamy truffles aren''t included.\u003cbr/\u003eIt''s the chocolate that counts and the scientists warn that we mustn''t increase our overall intake of calories, or reduce the amount of healthy foods we eat in order to eat more chocolate. \u003cbr/\u003eAccording to Buijsse many people are having to tackle obesity which raises the risk of blood pressure and heart disease.\u003cbr/\u003eHe''s keen to stress that the consumption of chocolate should be small, an average of six grams.\u003cbr/\u003eBuijsse says \"if we would make a recommendation in the future, then it will be something that if you eat a low amount of chocolate, that should replace something else, like other sugar sweets, or snacks that also contain many calories.\"\u003cbr/\u003eSmall amounts of chocolate may help prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other high energy and therefore high calorie snacks.\u003cbr/\u003eSo if you''re planning on eating an Easter egg, you shouldn''t be scoffing crisps and pastries as well.\u003cbr/\u003eToo many eggs can lead to too much fat, too much sugar and a weight problem which outweighs any health benefits you can get from the chocolate itself.\u003cbr/\u003eThe scientists warn a hundred gram bar of even the darkest chocolate contains roughly 500 calories.\u003cbr/\u003eThat''s a quarter of the total number of calories recommended to a woman each day (2000) and a fifth of the daily intake recommended to men (2500).  \u003cbr/\u003eSo unless you''re planning to run a marathon every time you visit your favourite chocolatier, eating eggs is not a shortcut to a healthier life.\u003cbr/\u003eThe type of chocolate you like to eat is also important.\u003cbr/\u003eNot all of the study group was asked to reveal whether the chocolate they were eating was milk, white, or dark chocolate.\u003cbr/\u003eBut it believed the benefits derived from chocolate come from flavanols in cocoa, so the darker the chocolate the better its effect.\u003cbr/\u003eResearchers say  flavanols appear to be the substances in cocoa that are responsible for improving the availability of nitric oxide which lines the inner wall of blood vessels.\u003cbr/\u003eIt''s a gas which causes the smooth muscle cells of the blood vessels to relax and widen helping to lower blood pressure. \u003cbr/\u003eThey say nitric oxide also improves platelet function, making the blood less sticky, preventing excessive clotting.\u003cbr/\u003eA year and a half ago research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry warned that some chocolate manufacturers were making cocoa more digestible by using processes which drastically reduced the amount of flavanols.\u003cbr/\u003eScientists involved in today''s publication say study has again confirmed that chocolate has beneficial effects.\u003cbr/\u003eBut they say much more research needs to be done before they can make a precise recommendation.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator 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