Chocolate Rules — In Moderation
By Alice Shaw
Contributing Writer
If you are trying to lose weight and have decided that you must eliminate chocolate from your diet — don’t!
Eating chocolate in moderation may save you from developing Type 2 diabetes and many types of cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study conducted by a group of scientists from universities in the United Kingdom and Colombia.
The researchers said that moderate consumption of chocolate “has been associated” with a 1/3rd reduction in the risks of some cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 diabetes. The benefit of chocolate lies in the fact it contains the antioxidant flavonol, which has been shown to help prevent Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers added that the beneficial effects of chocolate also apparently derive from the high content of antioxidant polyphenols present in cocoa products, which lead to reductions in platelet functions and have beneficial effects on blood pressure, insulin resistance and blood lipids.
Besides having antioxidant properties, the researchers said, chocolate consumption also appears to have anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory effects as well as influence on insulin sensitivity.
However, the study noted, that with respect to heart disease the existing evidence involves “intermediate factors of cardiovascular disorders,” and that it remains unclear whether chocolate consumption can reduce “hard cardiovascular outcomes such as myocardial infarction and stroke.”
The research was comprised of sevens studies. One was in the United States. The others were in European countries and Japan. Participants ranged in age from 25 to 93 years. Although most of the participants were white, one study also included Hispanic and African-American people. Both men and women participated.
The chocolate involved in the research included dark and white chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate drinks, and nutritional supplements containing chocolate. The researchers warned that not all chocolate is beneficial. The high sugar and fat content of some commercially available chocolate should be considered, they said. They urged that initiatives to reduce sugar and fat in chocolate could result in even more people benefitting from eating chocolate.
By Alice Shaw
Contributing Writer
If you are trying to lose weight and have decided that you must eliminate chocolate from your diet — don’t!
Eating chocolate in moderation may save you from developing Type 2 diabetes and many types of cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study conducted by a group of scientists from universities in the United Kingdom and Colombia.
The researchers said that moderate consumption of chocolate “has been associated” with a 1/3rd reduction in the risks of some cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 diabetes. The benefit of chocolate lies in the fact it contains the antioxidant flavonol, which has been shown to help prevent Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers added that the beneficial effects of chocolate also apparently derive from the high content of antioxidant polyphenols present in cocoa products, which lead to reductions in platelet functions and have beneficial effects on blood pressure, insulin resistance and blood lipids.
Besides having antioxidant properties, the researchers said, chocolate consumption also appears to have anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory effects as well as influence on insulin sensitivity.
However, the study noted, that with respect to heart disease the existing evidence involves “intermediate factors of cardiovascular disorders,” and that it remains unclear whether chocolate consumption can reduce “hard cardiovascular outcomes such as myocardial infarction and stroke.”
The research was comprised of sevens studies. One was in the United States. The others were in European countries and Japan. Participants ranged in age from 25 to 93 years. Although most of the participants were white, one study also included Hispanic and African-American people. Both men and women participated.
The chocolate involved in the research included dark and white chocolate, chocolate bars, chocolate drinks, and nutritional supplements containing chocolate. The researchers warned that not all chocolate is beneficial. The high sugar and fat content of some commercially available chocolate should be considered, they said. They urged that initiatives to reduce sugar and fat in chocolate could result in even more people benefitting from eating chocolate.
