New Research Study Links Dark Chocolate to Vascular Health
Benefits
Yale-Griffin Findings Highlight Hershey’®s
Extra Dark Chocolate, Which Becomes the First Chocolate Bar to Earn
Respected Best Life Seal of Approval
Research Findings:
-
Dark chocolate has a positive impact on blood pressure and blood
vessel function.
-
Consuming Hershey’s Extra Dark
Chocolate (75g) as well as Hershey’s
Natural Cocoa (22g) lowered blood pressure and improved
endothelial function in 45 participants 2 hours after consumption.
HERSHEY, Pa. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) July 30, 2008 --
Dark chocolate has come to be recognized for its flavanol antioxidant
benefits, but a new study, conducted by the Yale-Griffin
Prevention Research Center, has uncovered an important link to its
vascular health benefits. The study, which used Hershey’s
Extra Dark Chocolate, reported that dark chocolate has a
positive impact on blood pressure and blood vessel function. The study’s
release comes on the heels of Hershey’s
Extra Dark Chocolate, a rich dark chocolate featuring 60 percent
cacao, earning renowned health and fitness expert Bob Greene’s
Best Life seal of approval –
the first chocolate bar to earn that distinction.
“The Hershey Company is continuously looking
for opportunities to offer products that support the balanced lifestyles
of today’s health-conscious consumers,”
said Debra Miller, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition, The
Hershey Company. “This one-two punch of the
Yale-Griffin research confirming chocolate’s
vascular health benefits, combined with Bob Greene’s
Best Life seal, makes Hershey’s Extra Dark
Chocolate a sensible option for people looking for small indulgences.”
The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center study is the largest study
of its kind to research the short-term benefits of solid dark chocolate
and cocoa containing beverages on blood pressure and endothelial
function (blood vessel function). The results of the study, recently
published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, found that consuming Hershey’s
Extra Dark Chocolate (75g) as well as Hershey’s
Natural Cocoa (22g) lowered blood pressure and improved
endothelial function in 45 participants 2 hours after consumption.
“Our study demonstrated impressive
enhancement of endothelial function following the acute consumption of
dark chocolate and cocoa,” said David L.
Katz, MD, MPH, principal investigator of the study and director of the
Prevention Research Center. “The results are
exciting because they show that dark chocolate, a highly-popular treat
long associated with pleasure, has health promoting properties as well.”
In addition, The Hershey Company announced that Hershey’s
Extra Dark Chocolate is the first chocolate bar to earn the
respected Best Life seal of approval. Designed by Bob Greene, respected
exercise physiologist and famed trainer, the Best Life seal appears on
select grocery products and is intended to help consumers make healthier
food and lifestyle decisions. Hershey’s
Extra Dark Chocolate’s naturally
occurring antioxidants and proven vascular health benefits helped the
product to earn this distinction. Bob Greene will utilize Hershey’s
Extra Dark Chocolate and Hershey’s
Natural Cocoa as he helps consumers to develop balanced, healthy
lifestyles through his book, The Best Life Diet, the companion
website TheBestLife.com, appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show
and other national television and radio shows, and national tours.
Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate is
available wherever candy is sold. The Best Life seal of approval will
begin appearing on packaging later this year.
About The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) is the largest North American
manufacturer of quality chocolate and sugar confectionery products. With
revenues of nearly $5 billion and approximately 13,000 employees
worldwide, The Hershey Company markets such iconic brands as Hershey’s,
Reese’s, Hershey’s
Kisses, Kit Kat, Twizzlers and Ice Breakers. Hershey is the
leader in the fast-growing dark and premium chocolate segment, with such
brands as Hershey’s Bliss, Hershey’s
Special Dark, Hershey’s Extra Dark and
Cacao Reserve by Hershey’s. Hershey’s
Ice Breakers franchise delivers refreshment across a variety of mint
and gum flavors and formats. Hershey’s
partnership with Starbucks offers a premium chocolate experience that
combines the highest-quality chocolate with Starbucks coffee-house
flavors, for a range of delicious and distinct chocolate products. In
addition, Artisan Confections Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The
Hershey Company, markets such premium chocolate offerings as Scharffen
Berger, known for its high-cacao dark chocolate products, Joseph
Schmidt, recognized for its fine, handcrafted chocolate gifts, and
Dagoba, known for its high-quality natural and organic chocolate
bars. Visit us at www.hersheynewsroom.com.
About The Best Life
The Best Life Diet is not a typical diet plan. Instead, it's a way of
living—of eating, exercising and viewing life—that
promotes weight loss and fosters lifelong weight control. The
three-phased plan offers a gradual approach to developing healthy habits
that not only increase fitness and reduce body weight, but can also
dramatically reduce the risk for diabetes, heart disease and other
chronic conditions. For more on the program, visit www.TheBestLife.com.
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