Does chocolate reduce blood pressure? A meta-analysis

Table 4 Subgroup analyses by study design and type of control

Subgroups		SBP			DBP
		Mean difference in mmHg (95% CI)	P	I ²	Mean difference in mmHg (95% CI)	P	I ²
Study design	Crossover [10, 12, 13, 18, 20, 21, 23]	-4.91 (-7.94, -1.88)	0.002	80%	-3.24 (-5.36, -1.12)	0.003	67%
	Parallel [11, 15–17, 21–23]	-2.01 (-3.42, -0.60)	0.005	9%	-1.20 (-2.29, -0.11)	0.03	12%
	Parallel^a [11, 15, 17, 21–23]	-0.43 (-2.80, 1.94)	0.72	0%	-0.25 (-1.83, 1.33)	0.75	0%
Type of control	Flavanol-free: white chocolate, milk, pills [11, 15, 17, 20, 21]	-4.21 (-6.65, -1.77)	0.0007	82%	-2.81 (-4.52, -1.10)	0.001	70%
	Low-flavanol: drink, bar, tablet [10, 13, 16, 18, 22–24]	0.74 (-2.92, 4.40)	0.69	53%	-0.38 (-2.00, 1.24)	0.65	0%

SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; mmHg, millimetre mercury; CI, confidence interval; P, probability value (P < 0.05 statistically significant); I ², heterogeneity test.
^aSensitivity analysis excluding trial [16], as this trial used a notably lower dose and longer duration than the other trials included in the meta-analysis.

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