Dark chocolate reduces blood pressure/hypertension: Doctors could soon be prescribing a dose of dark chocolate to help people with hypertension, according to a new research. Scientists at an Australian University, combined the results of 15 studies into the effects of flavanols, the compounds in chocolate, which cause dilation of blood vessels, on blood pressure. They found that, consumption can significantly, albeit modestly, reduce blood pressure for people with high blood pressure but not for people with normal blood pressure.