Magnesium-rich chocolate may lower your blood pressure
- Foods such as dark chocolate, bananas and avocado are high in magnesium
- Past research suggests a high magnesium intake lowers your hypertension risk
- Study found people with high blood pressure do not have enough magnesium
- Magnesium may lower hypertension by regulating blood flow, research suggests
Daisy Dunne For Mailonline
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Chocolate lovers rejoice – eating magnesium-rich cocoa may lower your blood pressure, according to new research.
People with higher than average blood pressure are deficient in magnesium, a new study reveals.
Magnesium may lower high blood pressure, known as hypertension, by helping the body to regulate blood flow, according to the researchers.
Their results suggest including magnesium-rich foods in your diet may be vital to staving off the condition, which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Approximately 75 million adults in the US have hypertension, which affects 16 million people in the UK.
Chocolate lovers rejoice: eating magnesium-rich cocoa could lower your blood pressure
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Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire analysed 25 people diagnosed with high blood pressure and 21 people without the condition.
Participants completed food diaries to determine their average daily magnesium intake.
A control group made from the general UK population was also included, using data provided by the National Diet and Nutrition Survey.
Results, published in the World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases, revealed that those with high blood pressure had a significantly lower intake of dietary magnesium than the general healthy population.
This data was further analysed to determine any changes in magnesium intake with age.
The results found a significant difference between age groups, with magnesium intake being lower among older people.
Yet, overall, all the study participants had a lower than recommended magnesium intake, regardless of their blood pressure status, the study found.
In the UK, the recommended daily intake of magnesium is 300mg for men and 270mg for women.
While in the US, the recommended daily intake is 400mg for men and 310mg for women.
Eating 100g (3.5 ounces) of almonds meets the UK’s daily recommended magnesium intake
An intake of 270mg is the equivalent of eating ten small bananas or 200g (seven ounces) of dark chocolate.
Lead researcher Lindsy Kass, said: ‘Magnesium is a key factor in blood pressure regulation and our study suggests that not only can low dietary magnesium intake lead to hypertension but that worryingly, dietary magnesium intake is at lower than currently recommended levels across the board.
‘Though recommended levels in the US are higher than the UK, the real issue lies with dietary intake and not with the recommendations themselves.
‘It is important to understand how dietary magnesium impacts blood pressure as that way we can push initiatives to increase knowledge and awareness of this micronutrient, which may help to reduce blood pressure in the UK and subsequently save the NHS money on costly drug intervention.
She said: ‘Figures show that by reducing the blood pressure of the nation as a whole, £850 million of NHS and social care costs could be avoided over 10 years.
‘Further, if 15 per cent more people currently being treated for high blood pressure could control it better a further £120 million could be saved.’
This comes after researchers from the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies in Mexico found that tequila’s magnesium content could help keep bones healthy.
Sugars from the tequila plant could even be used to treat osteoporosis, they added.
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