Eating no less than 140 grams of dark chocolate a week is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a US study.Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed three surveys of dietary habits spanning 20 to 30 years, and counted more than 110,000 chocolate lovers who consumed dark chocolate and milk chocolate, CNN reported Thursday.
After controlling for risk factors such as diet and lifestyle, the researchers found that people who ate at least 140 grams of any type of chocolate per week were 10 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who rarely or never ate chocolate; People who ate at least 140 grams of dark chocolate per week had a 21 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, long-term consumption of milk chocolate alone does not significantly reduce the risk of diabetes and can lead to weight gain.
The researchers explain that there is little difference between dark chocolate and milk chocolate in terms of the amount of sugar added and the level of fat and calories, the key is that dark chocolate contains more cocoa, which contains a lot of flavanols. Previous animal and small-scale human studies have shown that flavanols improve insulin sensitivity and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, all of which are components of diabetes pathophysiology.
However, the researchers note that their findings, while showing an association between eating dark chocolate and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
In addition, the study had some limitations: the participants were older, Caucasian adults, and chocolate consumption was relatively low.The results of this study also conflict with a December 2023 study involving cocoa flavanols, which did not find that consuming cocoa helped reduce diabetes risk.
Some experts believe that chocolate is a candy and contains sugar, and healthy people are not encouraged to eat chocolate for better blood sugar control, but can consume flavanols from other sources, such as dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries, as well as pomegranates, apples and tea. But if you’re a chocolate lover, it doesn’t hurt to eat a small amount of dark chocolate every week.
Related topics
