Consuming Dark Chocolate Instead of Milk Chocolate May Lower Diabetes Risk: Research
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New Delhi, Dec 5 (NationPress) A recent long-term research conducted in the US suggests that indulging in five servings of dark chocolate each week, rather than its milk counterpart, may contribute to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Published in the BMJ, the study revealed that increased intake of milk chocolate, unlike dark chocolate, was linked to long-term weight gain.
Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols, which are natural compounds found in fruits and vegetables known to enhance heart health and potentially decrease diabetes risk.
However, the relationship between chocolate consumption and type 2 diabetes risk continues to be debated due to varied results across different studies.
Moreover, many previous studies have not differentiated between dark and milk chocolate, which have varying levels of cocoa, milk, and sugar, and their distinct effects on diabetes risk.
To delve deeper, researchers merged data from three extensive US observational studies involving female nurses and male healthcare professionals who had no prior history of diabetes, heart disease, or cancer at the time of recruitment.
The team scrutinized the connections between type 2 diabetes and overall chocolate consumption involving 192,208 participants, and specifically dark and milk chocolate consumption involving 111,654 participants over an average period of 25 years.
Among the total chocolate analyses, 18,862 individuals were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
After adjusting for various personal, lifestyle, and dietary risk factors, the authors discovered that individuals consuming at least five servings weekly of any chocolate type exhibited a notable 10 percent reduction in type 2 diabetes risk compared to those who seldom or never consumed chocolate.
When examining chocolate subtypes, 4,771 participants developed type 2 diabetes.
Post adjustment for the same factors, those who consumed at least five servings weekly of dark chocolate demonstrated a significant 21 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while no significant associations were observed for milk chocolate consumption.
Additionally, researchers noted a 3 percent decline in type 2 diabetes risk for each extra serving of dark chocolate consumed weekly.
“Clinical trials are needed to validate these findings and explore the mechanisms behind dark chocolate’s protective effects,” the researchers concluded.
