Dark chocolate may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Eating dark chocolate weekly may lower type 2 diabetes risk
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HEALTH Chronic disease
According to the International Diabetes Federation, over 90% of people with diabetes have the type 2 variety. Type 2 diabetes most often develops in people aged 45 or older, but children and young adults can also develop the chronic disease. Over time, high blood sugar can cause significant health complications, so it's important to keep type 2 diabetes managed.
Now, a new study has shown that eating at least five small servings of dark chocolate weekly may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%. The risk decreases as chocolate consumption rises from none to five servings.
“Dark and milk chocolate have similar levels of added sugar, fat and calories, but the most important difference is that dark chocolate contains more cacao,” said lead author Binkai Liu, a doctoral student in the nutrition department of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Cacao is the raw, less-processed form of chocolate and contains the highest levels of flavanols, which act as antioxidants and help reduce inflammation that can trigger or worsen chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
While the study couldn’t establish cause and effect, Liu suggested that higher flavanol levels in cacao might explain the differing effects of dark and milk chocolate.
But is it possible to reverse type 2 diabetes? Find out by clicking through this informative gallery.
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