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A U.S. research team found that people who eat dark chocolate have a 21 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
What the study found
People choose chocolate by taste. But a new study found that opting for dark chocolate over milk or white chocolate carries an added benefit: a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
A team from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health analyzed health and diet data from 111,654 nurses, gathered through surveys over 25 years. Participants answered questions about their chocolate preferences.
The study’s key finding: eating at least five servings of dark chocolate a week was linked to a 21 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with people who rarely or never ate chocolate.
Dark chocolate was also associated with participants maintaining a healthier weight.
The researchers found no similar link for milk chocolate. In fact, milk chocolate consumption was associated with weight gain, according to Science Alert.
The report says that consumption of dark, but not milk, chocolate was linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while increased milk chocolate consumption—but not dark chocolate—was linked to long-term weight gain.
However, before swapping types of chocolate, remember that many factors influence the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Still, the connection between dark chocolate and a lower likelihood of the disease is strong enough to justify further research into the possible biological mechanisms.
Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols, compounds also found in fruits and vegetables that may offer health benefits. Earlier studies have linked flavanols to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
The paper says milk and white chocolate don’t have the same positive metabolic effects because they contain more added sugar, which increases the risk of cardiometabolic disease.
More than 460 million people worldwide have diabetes, and that number could reach 700 million in the next two decades. Diabetes requires regular monitoring of diet and blood sugar levels and can lead to serious complications.
Despite those figures, researchers continue to find ways to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Knowing dark chocolate may lower risk could encourage people to make healthier dietary choices.
The team called for further randomized controlled trials to confirm the findings.
The study was published in the BMJ.
