The message comes from a study where researchers have analyzed self-reported data on, among other things, chocolate consumption from around 190,000 individuals in the USA.
The individuals who participated did not have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at the beginning of the study and were followed up on average for 25 years. The participants repeatedly filled in information about, among other things, eating habits.
The researchers compared data on chocolate consumption from the forms with health data registers and the occurrence of, among other things, type 2 diabetes.
Lower cancer risk
For around 111,600 individuals, there was data on what type of chocolate they ate, light or dark. After the researchers took into account other risk factors for diabetes, such as diet, physical activity, BMI, and the occurrence of diabetes in the family, it turned out that those who reported eating at least 150 grams of dark chocolate per week had a 21 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than those who did not eat dark chocolate.
Additionally, a risk reduction of 3 percent was seen for each additional portion of 30 grams they ate per week. An increased intake of milk chocolate was linked to weight gain, which was not seen for dark chocolate. The results have been published in the journal BMJ.
Antioxidants
Dark chocolate often contains as many calories and as much saturated fat as milk chocolate. The researchers reason that it may be the high proportion of flavonoids found in dark chocolate that provides health benefits. Flavonoids belong to a group of substances commonly referred to as antioxidants, which are found in, among other things, berries, apples, kale, and spinach.
However, the researchers note that based on the results, it cannot be concluded that it is the dark chocolate that is behind the lower diabetes risk.
