8:57pm UK, Friday February 15, 2002

Chocoholics may have grounds for feeling less guilty about their diet, according to scientists.

They're claiming that research with a tribe of South American Indians could mean that chocolate prevents high blood pressure.

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The Kuna tribe from Panama have a passion for cocoa.

They consume five cups a day on average and include cocoa in many of their recipes.

Age

Scientists have found they are also free of the blood pressure rises that normally occur with age.

Dr Norman Hollenberg, from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, USA, claimed there could be a connection.


He suggests that ingredients called flavanols in chocolate may promote production of nitric oxide, a chemical which opens up the arteries to increase blood flow.

Implications

"If our research results continue to support a link between consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa and nitric oxide synthesis, there could be significant implications for public health," he said.

His team studied the difference between Kuna Indians living on central American islands and members of the tribe who had migrated to the urban environment of Panama City.

After moving to the city and adopting an urban diet, the Indians began to develop high blood pressure with age.