The 70% solution... ?

I was planning to post something about chocolate anyway, and then there was a news story today about its health benefits-- especially for the cardiovascular system-- which included a link to a peer-reviewed article with lots of details, many of which were over my head.

However, I did catch the one about consuming 100g per day for two weeks in order to lower one's blood pressure. (Mine's gone up a bit since I've been eating butterscotch like it's going out of style.) And, I thought it might be worth a small trial of my own. Especially, since my favorite bar comes in exactly that "dose." And apparently there is a dose-response. At least in elderly Dutch men. This will mean a trip to CVS, where I can both take my blood pressure, and purchase a larger supply of Lindt bars than I usually have on hand. Further updates will follow...

And, in the meantime, another story on some surprising relationships between food and health arrived in my emailbox via The Progressive, and this one went much further than merely advocating for chocolate...

UPDATE ~ Same Day:
Today's BP: 138 over 74 w/ a heart rate of 76.
[I always use to be well under the "normal" 120 over 80.]

UPDATE ~ March 5th: [I decided to measure it twice.]
1st BP: 137 over 76 w/ a heart rate of 71;
2nd BP: 132 over 74 w/ a heart rate of 66.