What Happens to Your Blood Pressure When You Drink Hot Chocolate

Drinking hot cocoa might warm your spirits and improve your heart health. Research has shown that dark chocolate and certain high-flavanol cocoa powders help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Cocoa Flavanols Protect Blood Vessels

Cocoa has heart-protective effects because it is rich in flavanols, natural plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

While phytochemicals like flavanols aren’t considered essential nutrients like vitamins or minerals, they can still influence health, according to Annette Dourney, RD, CNSC, a clinical nutrition manager at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

Research shows that dark chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa solids (derived from refined cocoa beans) may help protect the heart and lower cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. A recent study also showed that a high-flavanol cocoa beverage helps counteract the harm to blood vessels and blood pressure from prolonged sitting.

While these findings are promising, additional research is needed to understand how long the protective effects last. It is also unclear whether typical hot chocolate or chocolate bars offer similar benefits, as their flavanol levels differ from those used in the study, Dourney noted.

Look for 70% or Higher Dark Chocolate

To get the most out of your hot chocolate, studies suggest choosing a cocoa or dark chocolate bar with at least 70% cocoa solids. Popular hot cocoa brands don’t always list the percentage of cocoa solids on the packaging, so a product labeled “dark chocolate” may still fall below the 70% threshold.

Higher-flavanol chocolates often have a stronger, more bitter flavor.

“It is hard to get people to eat 80% cacao. I have tried. People eat it, and they think it is bitter and disgusting,” Jeanette Andrade, RD, an associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Florida, told Verywell.

To make these products more palatable, some manufacturers add sugar. While sweetened dark cocoa can be an enjoyable occasional treat, it likely does not provide the same health benefits as unsweetened, high-flavanol cocoa.

Skip Whipped Cream and Marshmallows for Heart Health

Many hot cocoa mixes contain added sugar, and you can sweeten it further with toppings such as marshmallows, whipped cream, and candy canes. While these additions make for a festive treat, they can undermine the heart-health benefits of cocoa, Andrade said.

Having too much added sugar can increase your risk of high blood pressure, inflammation, and heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams) per day for men and less than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) per day for women.

A decadent hot chocolate drink may easily exceed the recommended added sugar limit. One packet of dark hot chocolate cocoa can have 20 grams of added sugar. Marshmallow and whipped cream can increase the total added sugar, sometimes exceeding the daily recommended amount.