Posted on 12/09/2024 7:09:58 AM PST by Red Badger
Participants who ate at least five servings of chocolate weekly had a 10% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), with dark chocolate showing an even stronger effect—a 21% lower risk. In contrast, milk chocolate consumption was linked to long-term weight gain, which may contribute to T2D, but not to a reduced risk of the disease. Researchers emphasized the health benefits of choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate and cautioned that these findings may not apply to individuals with very high chocolate consumption.
Dark chocolate consumption may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%, while milk chocolate does not show similar benefits, according to a Harvard study.
A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that consuming dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate, may be linked to a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).
“Our findings suggest that not all chocolate is created equal,” said lead author Binkai Liu, doctoral student in the Department of Nutrition. “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.”
The study will be published online Dec. 4 in The BMJ.
There is an existing body of research on the relationship between chocolate and T2D but findings have been inconsistent, and few studies have differentiated between chocolate subtypes (dark versus milk).
The researchers sought to fill this gap using data from the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Over the course of 30+ years, 192,000 adult participants who were free of diabetes at the study’s outset reported on their food habits, including chocolate consumption, as well as their diabetes status and body weight. By the end of the study period, nearly 19,000 of the total participants reported being diagnosed with T2D. Of the nearly 112,000 who reported specifically on their dark and milk chocolate intake, nearly 5,000 were diagnosed with T2D.
Key Findings: Dark Chocolate Shows Promise
The study found that participants who consumed at least five ounces of any type of chocolate per week had a 10% lower risk of T2D compared to those who never or rarely consumed chocolate. Dark chocolate had an even bigger impact: Participants who consumed at least five servings of this chocolate per week showed a 21% lower risk of T2D. The researchers also observed a 3% reduction in risk for every serving of dark chocolate consumed per week. Consumption of milk chocolate, meanwhile, was not associated with reduced T2D risk. Increased consumption of milk chocolate, but not dark chocolate, was associated with long-term weight gain, a potential contributor to the development of T2D.
“We were surprised by the clear split between dark and milk chocolate’s impact on diabetes risk and long-term weight management,” said corresponding author Qi Sun, associate professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology. “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. It’s an intriguing difference that’s worth exploring more.”
The authors noted that participants’ chocolate consumption was low relative to previously recorded national averages and that the findings may not apply to individuals with very high chocolate consumption.
Reference:
“Chocolate intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: prospective cohort studies”
by Binkai Liu, Geng Zong, Lu Zhu, Yang Hu, JoAnn E Manson, Molin Wang, Eric B Rimm, Frank B Hu and Qi Sun, 4 December 2024, BMJ.
DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-078386
Other Harvard Chan authors included Lu Zhu, Yang Hu, JoAnn Manson, Molin Wang, Eric Rimm, and Frank Hu.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants UM1 CA186107, P01 CA87969, R01 HL034594, U01 CA176726, U01 CA167552, R01 HL035464, R01 HL60712, R01 DK120870, R01 DK126698, R01 DK119268, U2C DK129670, R01 ES022981, and R21 AG070375).
Ok, good for the women. Now do the study with bacon.
Which fully explains why it’s the healthier choice.
Life would be so much easier if healthy eating wasn’t so boring and unpalatable.
FAT UNHEALTHY PEOPLE PREFER MILK CHOCOLATE
bkmk
“cacao generates environmental impacts which fuel climate change as a result of the production of chocolate following the production of the raw material cacao, which also exerts a net negative carbon footprint”
https://www.news-medical.net/health/Impact-of-Chocolate-on-our-Climate.aspx
Greta says no dark chocolate for you! It’s for ze elites only.
Good news for me, I love dark chocolate.
I always wonder who paid for the study and how do they make money from the conclusions. But if dark chocolate substitutes for other stuff and reduces the total sweet intake it might work.
The warehouse club didn’t have the dark choc giardellis (sp?), but they had store brand dark choc thins with sea salt. I can feel the diabetes screaming for mercy right now. :^)
I remember when the sea salt thing started. I was all “no”, cause it just sounds like a bad idea. Then I had some salted caramel, and salted dark chocolate since, oh my that is good. Enjoy.
I call “Barbara Steisand!”
(Rush Limbaugh returns!)
Eating dark choclate tastes SO bad, you need 4 times the milk chocolate to sink both the taste and the recent memory of it.
Thus, diabetes MORE likely.
Eating 4 milk chocolates origibally is one chocolate less! Thus lowing diabetes risk to 100%, versus 112%.
Math made easy. No government study money spent and no cause twisted ot, just common sense.
It’s delicious!.........
Organic cacao powder. Aldi Moser 85% chocolate bars. Trader Joe’s 500g 72% bar. My best chocolate sources.
We buy Aldi’s. Delicious!.......................
Thats what I was going to post.
Moser Roth 85%
6 net carbs per .88oz bar (5 per 4.4oz pack)
It sounds like they are suggesting a lot of chocolate until you realize that a .88oz bar each night of the week is 6.16oz and the 6 net carbs easily fits into a strict carb diabetic diet.
I actually always keep a pack here by the computer for when Im Freeping. You never know when an emergency might break out.
Is it the chocolate itself that’s doing the trick, or is it something else that is reducing chocolate eaters’ diabetes risk?
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I think chocolate is the food highest in copper.
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