In subgroup analyses, significant reduction in incidence of hypertension seen among those with baseline systolic BP <120 mm Hg<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Long-term cocoa extract supplementation does not reduce the risk for incident hypertension but does reduce hypertension incidence among those with normal systolic blood pressure (BP) at baseline, according to a study published online Aug. 20 in Hypertension<\/em>.<\/p>\n Rikuta Hamaya, M.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues examined the role of cocoa flavonols on incident hypertension in a large-scale, long-term randomized clinical trial. A total of 21,442 women aged 65 years and older and men aged 60 years and older were randomly assigned to receive cocoa extract and a multivitamin or placebos, which did not include any bioactive compounds. The effect of cocoa extract on incident hypertension was examined in 8,905 participants free from baseline hypertension.<\/p>\n The researchers found that cocoa extract supplementation had no significant effect on incident hypertension in an intention-to-treat analysis during a median follow-up of 3.4 years, with incidence rates of 7.1 and 7.4 per 100 person-years in the cocoa and placebo groups, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.96; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.88 to 1.05). In subgroup analyses, the incidence of hypertension was reduced with cocoa extract supplementation among individuals with baseline systolic BP <120 mm Hg but not among those with systolic BP of 120 to 139 mm Hg (HR, 0.76 [95 percent CI, 0.64 to 0.90]; HR, 1.05 [95 percent CI, 0.93 to 1.18]). At year 2 after random assignment, the effect among those with baseline systolic BP <120 mm Hg became evident.<\/p>\n “This finding raises the hypothesis that cocoa flavanols may be more effective in preserving vascular health and preventing early blood pressure elevation, rather than lowering already-elevated blood pressure,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Two authors disclosed ties to Mars Edge and Pfizer.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n