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People who regularly consume dark chocolate and avoid milk chocolate have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
Read more: Just Two Slices Of Ham A Day Raises Type 2 Diabetes Risk, Major Study Finds
Researchers looked at data from three long-term studies on nurses and other healthcare workers in the US. The data explored the link between type 2 diabetes and type of chocolate consumed – milk, white, and dark – in 111,654 people. In total, 4,771 people from this group developed type 2 diabetes. The research – published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) – found that eating five one-ounce pieces of dark chocolate a week could lower the risk of the condition by 21 percent. Notably, those who ate the servings were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who ate no chocolate.
Those who ate milk and white chocolate did not have a decreased risk, however. The study authors noted that milk chocolate eaters had an increased risk of weight gain, which is a key contributing factor to development of type 2 diabetes.
Read more: Two Red Meat Servings A Week Could Raise Type 2 Diabetes Risk, Study Finds
The study
Milk and white chocolate are both dairy-based, while dark chocolate tends to be free from cow’s milk (though some brands do contain small amounts of it). Dark chocolate is also higher in cacao. The researchers did not establish cause and effect, but it’s thought that the cacao may explain the link between dark chocolate and lowered type 2 diabetes risk.
“The bioactive compounds in cacao called flavanols have been shown in animal studies and small-scale human experimental studies to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, all of which are components in the pathophysiology of diabetes,” said Dr. Nestoras Mathioudakis, co-medical director of the Diabetes Prevention and Education Program at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
Type 2 diabetes has increased “noticeably” over the past few decades, the study authors noted. It’s thought that around 463 million people were affected worldwide in 2019. This number has been projected to increase to 700 million by 2045.
Multiple studies have linked plant-based diets with decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Some former sufferers, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, have said that they reversed their type 2 diabetes with an animal-free diet plan.
Read more: What Are ‘Plant Points’ – And Why Is Everyone Recommending Them?
