The choice may be bittersweet, but the evidence is clear: a new study shows that dark chocolate may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Researchers found that people who ate at least five servings (about 50 grams per day) of dark chocolate per week had a 21% lower risk of blood sugar disease. In addition, the more dark chocolate a person eats, the better. Each serving provides a 3% additional reduction in diabetes risk.
On the other hand, eating milk chocolate is associated with long-term weight gain, which can increase the risk of diabetes.
"Our findings show that not all chocolate is the same," said lead researcher Bingkai Liu, a doctoral student in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T. Kennedy School of Public Health. Х. Chan" in Boston.
"For anyone who loves chocolate, this is a reminder that small choices, like choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate, can have a positive effect on their health," Liu added.
For the study, his team analyzed health and dietary data from 192,000 medical employees who participated in two long-term research projects.
After three decades, nearly 19,000 of the participants had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Of the nearly 112,000 people who specifically reported their consumption of dark and milk chocolate, nearly 5,000 were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Researchers found that people who consumed at least 28 grams of chocolate each week had a 10% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
But when the researchers looked more closely, the data showed a clear difference between dark and milk chocolate.
The new study is published in the journal BMJ.
"We were surprised by the clear separation between the impact of dark and milk chocolate on diabetes risk and long-term weight management," said researcher Qi Sun, associate professor in the departments of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T. Kennedy School of Public Health. Х. Chan."
"Although dark and milk chocolate have similar levels of calories and saturated fat, it appears that the rich polyphenols in dark chocolate may counteract the effects of saturated fat and sugar on weight gain and diabetes. This is an intriguing difference that is worth exploring more," he explained. | BGNES
