Why you should eat dark chocolate

YOU may already know that consuming dark chocolate (that’s with cocoa percentage of no less than 70 percent) is beneficial to health. While it’s a joy to eat, chocolate is especially good for the heart and could help prevent diabetes type 2 and insulin resistance.

One of the more recent studies on chocolate appears in the British Journal of Nutrition*. It says consumption of small portion of chocolate every day could help prevent diabetes type 2 and insulin resistance. This is one of the findings from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the University of Warwick Medical School, the University of South Australia and the University of Maine.

Analyzing data of 1,153 people aged 18-69 years old who were part of the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk in Luxembourg (ORISCAV-LUX), a study found that those who ate 100 gams of chocolate a day – equivalent to a bar – had reduced insulin resistance and improved liver enzymes. Insulin sensitivity is a well-established risk factor to cardiovascular disease.

Researchers posited that chocolate consumption may have a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity and liver enzymes and therefore decided to analyze a national sample of adults, taking into account lifestyle and dietary factors, including the simultaneous consumption of tea and coffee. This is because both drinks can be high in polyphenol, the substance which may provide chocolate with its beneficial cardiometabolic effects.

Prof Saverio Stranges, Visiting Academic at the University of Warwick Medical School and Scientific Director of the Department of Population Health at LIH said: “Given the growing body of evidence, including our own study, cocoa-based products may represent an additional dietary recommendation to improve cardio-metabolic health; however, observational results need to be supported by robust trial evidence.

Phytochemical rich foods

“Potential applications of this knowledge include recommendations by healthcare professionals to encourage individuals to consume a wide range of phytochemical-rich foods, which can include dark chocolate in moderate amounts. However, it is important to differentiate between the natural product cocoa and the processed product chocolate, which is an energy-dense food. Therefore, physical activity, diet and other lifestyle factors must be carefully balanced to avoid detrimental weight gain over time.”

More than 80 percent of participants claimed to eat an average of 24.8 g of chocolate a day. The study also found that those who claimed to eat chocolate were younger, more physically active and had higher levels of education than those who claimed not to eat chocolate on a daily basis.

Dr Ala’a Alkerwi, the Principal Investigator of the study at LIH said: “It is also possible that chocolate consumption may represent an overall marker for a cluster of favourable socio-demographic profiles, healthier lifestyle behaviors and better health status. This could explain, at least in part, the observed inverse associations with insulin and liver biomarkers.”

According to the paper, further observational research and randomized controlled studies are needed to understand the role chocolate may play in insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disorders.

*Daily chocolate consumption is inversely associated with insulin resistance and liver enzymes in the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg study, British Journal of Nutrition Br J Nutr. 2016 Mar 17:1-8. doi:10.1017/S0007114516000702