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From a question

The effect of dark chocolate on hypertension in adults

DoneStarted Oct 28, 2026, 22:26 UTCFinished Oct 28, 2026, 22:26 UTC

Stages

  1. Finding the known studies(done)
  2. Drafting(done)
  3. Checking MeSH(done)
  4. Counting in PubMed(done)
  5. Checking known studies(done)
  6. Comparing with the reference(done)
  7. Run Search(done)
  8. Saving(done)
Run log (17)
  1. Finding the known studies: No known studies were given
  2. Drafting: Drafting concepts and terms
  3. Checking MeSH: Checking every MeSH heading, Supplementary Concept and publication type against NLM
  4. Counting in PubMed: Running 10 lines on PubMed
  5. Line 1: 4,796 records
  6. Line 3: 20,721 records
  7. Line 4: 571,185 records
  8. Line 5: 1,000,883 records
  9. Line 8: 4,884,955 records
  10. Line 6: 1,142,480 records
  11. Line 7: 673 records
  12. Line 9: 627 records
  13. Line 10: 607 records
  14. Line 2: 20,343 records
  15. Run Search: Fetching the first 20 records
  16. Saving: Saving the run
  17. Finished.

Final count (line 10)

607

Open in PubMed (opens in a new tab)
Query as run (509 characters)(((("Chocolate"[Mesh] OR "Cacao"[Mesh]) OR (chocolate*[tiab] OR cocoa[tiab] OR cacao[tiab] OR flavanol*[tiab] OR epicatechin[tiab])) AND (("Hypertension"[Mesh] OR "Blood Pressure"[Mesh]) OR (hypertensi*[tiab] OR prehypertensi*[tiab] OR "blood pressure"[tiab] OR "arterial pressure"[tiab] OR systolic[tiab] OR diastolic[tiab]))) NOT ("Comment"[Publication Type] OR "Editorial"[Publication Type] OR "Letter"[Publication Type] OR "Case Reports"[Publication Type] OR "Preprint"[Publication Type])) AND english[la]

Known studies

No known studies were given, so recall was not checked.

Only studies the model never saw are counted. Finding known studies does not prove the search is complete.

Reference strategy

No reference strategy was given.

Search lines

Vocabulary terms are marked ✓︎ valid, ↪︎ mapped to the preferred heading, ✗︎ not found, ⚠︎ not checked.
Numbered search lines with their PubMed counts
No.SearchResults
1

Dark chocolate and cocoa

"Chocolate"[Mesh] (MeSH heading valid: D000069956) OR "Cacao"[Mesh] (MeSH heading valid: D002099)		4,796
2

Dark chocolate and cocoa

chocolate*[tiab] OR cocoa[tiab] OR cacao[tiab] OR flavanol*[tiab] OR epicatechin[tiab]		20,343
3

Dark chocolate and cocoa · block

1 OR 2		20,721
4

Hypertension and blood pressure

"Hypertension"[Mesh] (MeSH heading valid: D006973) OR "Blood Pressure"[Mesh] (MeSH heading valid: D001794)		571,185
5

Hypertension and blood pressure

hypertensi*[tiab] OR prehypertensi*[tiab] OR "blood pressure"[tiab] OR "arterial pressure"[tiab] OR systolic[tiab] OR diastolic[tiab]		1,000,883
6

Hypertension and blood pressure · block

4 OR 5		1,142,480
7

combined

3 AND 6		673
8

excluded

"Comment"[Publication Type] (publication type valid: D016420) OR "Editorial"[Publication Type] (publication type valid: D016421) OR "Letter"[Publication Type] (publication type valid: D016422) OR "Case Reports"[Publication Type] (publication type valid: D002363) OR "Preprint"[Publication Type] (publication type valid: D000076942)		4,884,955
9

exclusions removed

7 NOT 8		627
10Final

limits

9 AND english[la]		607

Issues

0 errors, 2 warnings, 0 notes
  • Warning: Language limit (english): it can remove relevant studies; report and justify it.
  • Warning: Publication types excluded with NOT (Comment, Editorial, Letter, Case Reports, Preprint): report and justify the exclusion.

First records

The first 20 of the final line's records, as PubMed sorts them.
  1. Dietary Polyphenols and Cardiovascular Health: From Bioavailability to Clinical Relevance. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Krstić Ristivojević M, Ružičić D, Trif M et al. · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026 · PMID 42883312

  2. Associations Between Chocolate Consumption and Cardiometabolic Risk Markers Across Metabolic Profiles: Insights from a Population-Based Study. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Martín-Carro B, Iglesias-Colino E, Montes-Riesgo D et al. · Nutrients · 2026 · PMID 42797006

  3. Inflammatory proteomic signatures of cardiometabolic traits and the contribution of visceral adipose tissue: a cross-sectional and network proteomic analysis. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Yazdani A, Wang C, Demler O et al. · The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2026 · PMID 42716473

  4. Impact of cocoa flavanols on blood pressure and vascular function: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Sakuda M, Ito K, Adaniya Y et al. · The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2026 · PMID 42679502

  5. Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Vascular Function: A Narrative Review. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Katsanaki E, Georgiopoulos G, Thymis J et al. · Journal of clinical medicine · 2026 · PMID 42513607

  6. Integrative Multi-Transcriptomic Uncovers Actionable Signatures and Drug Repurposing Candidates for ccRCC-Hypertension Comorbidity. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Zhang Y, Kho BS, Wang X et al. · Cancers · 2026 · PMID 42512315

  7. Long-term adverse cardiovascular changes induced by cocoa shell extract administration through lactation in fetal undernourished and control rats. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Ruvira S, Rodríguez-Rodríguez P, Iampanichakul M et al. · Experimental physiology · 2026 · PMID 42394158

  8. Dietary polyphenols in pediatric obesity and cardiometabolic risk: mechanisms and clinical evidence. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Calcaterra V, Cena H, Conti MV et al. · Frontiers in nutrition · 2026 · PMID 42325523

  9. Chocolate and Cardiovascular Disease. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Manolis AA, Manolis TA, Vouliotis A et al. · Cardiology in review · 2026 · PMID 42298350

  10. The associations of BMI-for-age with cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers, lifestyle and quality of life in 6-12-year-old children in Finland. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Martikainen A, Eloranta AM, Schwab U et al. · Preventive medicine reports · 2026 · PMID 42164310

  11. The In Vitro Multifaceted Biological Activity of Catechins in Relation to Their Oxidation Potentials. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Wronkowska M, Zielińska D, Starowicz M et al. · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026 · PMID 42076005

  12. Comparative effects of regular, bloomed or white chocolate on cardiovascular and antioxidant markers in healthy adults. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Chatagnier L, Orsa C, Plumlee D et al. · Metabolism open · 2026 · PMID 42004823

  13. Effects of pistachio consumption on cognition, cardiometabolic risk factors, and life satisfaction in older adults: Protocol for a remote-based randomized controlled trial. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Park SJ, Gavilan IS, Li S et al. · Contemporary clinical trials · 2026 · PMID 41991057

  14. Exploring the nutritional, phytochemical, and functional potential of African star apple (Chrysophyllum albidum) and its byproducts: A review of bioactivities and food applications. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Adadi P, Mensah EO, Asase RV et al. · Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.) · 2026 · PMID 41895927

  15. The effects of cocoa products in individuals with metabolic syndrome and related diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Gomes Chagas A, Camilotti BG, Gonçalves GN et al. · Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders · 2026 · PMID 41858752

  16. Acute cocoa ingestion decreases spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity in healthy older adults. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Hamaoka M, Lott MEJ, Eckman Z et al. · American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · 2026 · PMID 41855131

  17. Beyond Taste: The Impact of Chocolate on Cardiovascular and Steatotic Liver Disease Risk Factors. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Tomaru JM, Nunes IR, Santiago CFS et al. · Nutrients · 2026 · PMID 41754152

  18. Modulation of mitochondrial biogenesis by flavonoids via SIRT1 signalling in metabolic syndrome: a systematic review. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Sahariah P, Saikia L, Bharali A et al. · Molecular biology reports · 2026 · PMID 41733709

  19. Bioactive Phenolic Compounds in Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Implications for Cardiovascular Health. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Vázquez-Jiménez C, Rodríguez-Pérez MD, Ortega-Hombrados L et al. · Food science & nutrition · 2026 · PMID 41695108

  20. Antiobesity Potential of Selected Latin American Edible Plants: A Review. (PubMed, opens in a new tab)

    Hernández-Pérez T, Paredes-López O · Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2026 · PMID 41663791

Export

Strategy (.txt)PMIDs (.txt)MEDLINE (.txt)Provenance (.json)

The strategy file has the numbered lines with counts, the search date and the AI-use statement. PMIDs and MEDLINE are fetched from PubMed when you download, so they reflect PubMed today.

Checking PubMed for the current list of PMIDs…

Objective and notes from the draft

To assess the effect of dark chocolate or cocoa consumption on blood pressure and hypertension in adults.

  • The adult population is not searched as a concept: age terms are applied inconsistently and would lose relevant trials; screen for adults at the selection stage.
  • Blood pressure terms are included alongside hypertension because most cocoa trials report blood pressure change in mixed or normotensive samples.
  • Related vascular outcomes such as endothelial function or flow-mediated dilation are deliberately left out as they fall outside the hypertension question.
  • Generic polyphenol or flavonoid terms are omitted to avoid pulling in tea, fruit and other non-cocoa sources; cocoa-specific flavanol terms are included instead.

Edit the strategy

Changes are not searched until you recount. Each recount is saved as a new version.

Dark chocolate and cocoaIntervention

20,721 records · 7 of 7 terms on

  • MeSH valid: D000069956AI

    "Chocolate"[Mesh]

    Main heading for chocolate products, including dark chocolate.

  • MeSH valid: D002099AI

    "Cacao"[Mesh]

    Heading for the cocoa plant and cocoa products used in many trials.

  • TextAI

    chocolate*[tiab]

    Catches chocolate, chocolates and dark chocolate in titles, abstracts and keywords.

    Fields to search for chocolate
  • TextAI

    cocoa[tiab]

    Common term for cocoa drinks, powders and extracts.

    Fields to search for cocoa
  • TextAI

    cacao[tiab]

    Alternative spelling and botanical name for cocoa.

    Fields to search for cacao
  • TextAI

    flavanol*[tiab]

    Cocoa flavanols are the active compounds tested in many blood pressure trials.

    Fields to search for flavanol
  • TextAI

    epicatechin[tiab]

    Main cocoa flavanol, sometimes studied as the cocoa-derived intervention.

    Fields to search for epicatechin
Fields to search

Hypertension and blood pressureCondition

1,142,480 records · 8 of 8 terms on · 1 suggestion off

  • MeSH valid: D006973AI

    "Hypertension"[Mesh]

    Main heading for high blood pressure; narrower headings add little noise once combined with chocolate.

  • MeSH valid: D001794AI

    "Blood Pressure"[Mesh]

    Many trials report blood pressure change in normotensive or prehypertensive adults without indexing hypertension.

  • TextAI

    hypertensi*[tiab]

    Covers hypertension, hypertensive and hypertensives.

    Fields to search for hypertensi
  • TextAI

    prehypertensi*[tiab]

    Covers prehypertension and prehypertensive participants often enrolled in cocoa trials.

    Fields to search for prehypertensi
  • TextAI

    "blood pressure"[tiab]

    Primary outcome wording, also covers high blood pressure.

    Fields to search for blood pressure
  • TextAI

    "arterial pressure"[tiab]

    Alternative wording for blood pressure outcomes.

    Fields to search for arterial pressure
  • TextAI

    systolic[tiab]

    Systolic pressure is a standard reported outcome.

    Fields to search for systolic
  • TextAI

    diastolic[tiab]

    Diastolic pressure is a standard reported outcome.

    Fields to search for diastolic
Suggested MeSH entry terms (1, off)
  • TextEntry term

    "Pulse Pressure"[tiab]

    Narrower concept under the MeSH heading "Blood Pressure" (D001794)

    Fields to search for Pulse Pressure
Fields to search

Limits

Publication types to exclude

Each one is checked against MeSH publication types before it is added.

  • Comment
  • Editorial
  • Letter
  • Case Reports
  • Preprint

No changes.