Sweet news: Dark chocolate may be the secret to reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Everyone deserves a bit of sweetness from time to time. But the results of a brand new study may help chocolate lovers enjoy it guilt-free.

A study recently published in British medical journalfound that participants who ate five or more servings of dark chocolate per week had a significantly lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that consuming dark chocolate reduced the risk by 21% compared to participants who consumed similar amounts of milk chocolate.

In addition to its impact on the development of diabetes, the study found that participants who ate dark chocolate didn’t gain weight compared to those that ate milk chocolate.

“We’re a little surprised by this size of effect,” said study writer Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (*2*)NPR.

“Dark chocolate and milk chocolate have similar levels of added sugar, fat and calories, but the most important difference is that dark chocolate contains more cocoa,” says lead writer Binkai Liu, a doctoral student in the department of nutrition at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, added according to CNN.

This is not the first time dark chocolate has been named the healthiest member of the chocolate family. In 2017 National Institutes of Health (NIH) found evidence that cocoa “may be useful in slowing the progression of type 2 diabetes.” Likewise A 2005 study Dark chocolate is taken into account an excellent product for improving insulin sensitivity and reducing blood pressure problems.

Experts imagine that these health advantages are primarily attributed to flavanols – bioactive compounds naturally present in plants that stimulate the production of nitric oxide. This, in turn, relaxes and dilates blood vessels, helping to lower blood pressure. Among these flavanols, epicatechins have attracted particular attention of researchers due to their strong antioxidant properties.

Although the evidence supporting the positive health effects of dark chocolate continues to grow, researchers in the study recommend interpreting their findings with caution. Participants who showed helpful results from consuming dark chocolate may have already got been practicing other healthy habits that reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Ultimately, portion control is essential – people in the study ate about one ounce per day.