The bottom line in selecting chocolate is to opt for darker chocolate, rather than milk or white chocolate. Also, be sure to choose natural chocolate rather than processed chocolate (i.e. Snickers), because processed chocolate nearly always contains High Fructose Corn Syrup, which tends to have a detrimental impact on hypertension (Hypertension and High Fructose Corn Syrup.) As for dosage, the beneficial amounts used in two of the studies discussed here were 6.3 g and 100 g.
The typical daily dose of flavanols from chocolate thought to offer a beneficial effect range widely from 30 to 500 mg per day. The flavanol content of chocolate itself also varies widely. White chocolate contains little to no flavanols, commercial dark chocolate can contain as much as 500-2,000 mg of flavonols per 100 grams of chocolate. Special flavonol-enriched forms of chocolate are also available.
