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Dark chocolate for children's blood pressure: randomised trial
Eunice K Chan1, Jon Quach, Fiona K Mensah
1Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Archives of Disease in Childhood
|June 12, 2012
Summary
Daily dark chocolate provision in schools is feasible. This study found no significant short-term blood pressure reduction in children, suggesting further research with larger samples and higher doses is needed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric cardiovascular health
- Nutritional science
- Public health interventions
Background:
- Elevated adult blood pressure, even without hypertension, is a predictor of cardiovascular events.
- Childhood blood pressure influences adult blood pressure.
- Dark chocolate consumption in adults has demonstrated blood pressure-lowering effects, but its impact on children remains uninvestigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and acceptability of distributing dark chocolate within a school environment.
- To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of daily dark chocolate intake on reducing mean group blood pressure in children.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 194 children aged 10-12 years, allocated by class.
- Intervention group received 7g of dark chocolate daily for 7 weeks (n=124).
- Control group received no intervention (n=70). High adherence rates were observed (98% baseline, 93% follow-up).
Main Results:
- No statistically significant differences were observed in systolic (mean difference 1.7 mm Hg) or diastolic (-1.2 mm Hg) blood pressure between the intervention and control groups.
- Anthropometric measurements and self-reported well-being also showed no significant group differences at the study's conclusion.
Conclusions:
- The school-based delivery of dark chocolate was found to be feasible and well-accepted by students.
- The study suggests that for future trials, larger sample sizes, assessment of endothelial function, and potentially higher doses or longer durations of dark chocolate intake are recommended to detect significant effects.
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