Chocolates Reduce Chances of Preeclampsia

Here are some of the benefits of chocolates to pregnancy. New research suggests that indulging in chocolate during pregnancy could help ward off a serious complication known as preeclampsia.

Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is rich in a chemical called theobromine, which stimulates the heart, relaxes smooth muscle and dilates blood vessels. It has also been used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure, and hardening of the arteries.

Preeclampsia, in which blood pressure spikes during pregnancy while excess protein is released into the urine, has many features in common with heart disease. 2291 women were studied and they were ask about how much chocolate they consumed in their first and third trimesters.

Women who consumed the most chocolate and those whose infants had the highest concentration of theobromine in their cord blood were the least likely to develop preeclampsia.