The Harvard University results showed that people who ate at least five ounces of any type of chocolate per week had a 10% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
Major new research has shed light on one way to potentially slash your risk of type 2 diabetes – and it’s good news for chocolate lovers. The study, led by Harvard University, analysed data across three large cohorts, involving thousands of healthcare professionals over more than three decades.
With questionnaires completed at four-year intervals, scientists assessed the link between the chronic illness and chocolate consumption for 192,208 participants, and the type of chocolates consumed for 111,654 others. Interestingly, individuals who ate at least five ounces of any kind of chocolate per week had a 10% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those who rarely indulged in it.
However, dark chocolate had an even greater impact, as those who consumed at least five ‘servings’ every seven days displayed a 21% lessened risk. With type 2 diabetes often linked to obesity, commonly resulting from a high-sugar diet, this result may seem confusing.
But the Harvard scientists stressed that not all chocolate is ‘created equal’, with darker chocolate often boasting the least amount of sugar. Associate professor Qi Sun, of the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology explained: “We were surprised by the clear split between dark and milk chocolate’s impact on diabetes risk and long-term weight management.
“Even though dark and milk chocolate have similar levels of calories and saturated fat, it appears that the rich polyphenols in dark chocolate might offset the effects of saturated fat and sugar on weight gain and diabetes.”
Type 2 diabetes is a ‘common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high’, as per the NHS’ advice. Typical signs may include excessive thirst, needing to urinate often and tiredness, though many people have no symptoms at all.
Find out about the symptoms you need to watch out for and get health advice with our free health newsletter from the Mirror
While the research has spotlighted some positive effects of chocolate, it’s believed that increasing milk chocolate consumption even further will potentially encourage weight gain. In turn, this may lead to a heightened risk of obesity, which has been associated to more likely type 2 diabetes development.
They also cautioned that the chocolate consumption studied was modest in relation to previously recorded national data. And they said that their results may not be applicable to individuals with ‘very high chocolate consumption’.
Yet, lead author Binkai Liu emphasised that its a good ‘reminder’ that small dietary swaps can make a big difference to your overall health. He said: “For anyone who loves chocolate, this is a reminder that making small choices, like choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate, can make a positive difference to their health.”
