DARK CHOCOLATE MAY REDUCE DIABETES RISKS

-

 

DARK CHOCOLATE MAY REDUCE DIABETES RISKS


 


Consuming dark chocolate but not milk may be associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

"Our findings suggest that not all chocolate is created equal," said lead author Binkai Liu, a doctoral student in the Department of Nutrition. "For anyone who loves chocolate, this is a reminder that making small choices, like dark chocolate over milk chocolate, can make a positive difference to their health."

The study will be published online in The BMJ.

There is a body of research on the relationship between chocolate and T2D. Still, findings need to be more consistent, and few studies have differentiated between chocolate subtypes (dark versus milk).

The researchers sought to fill this gap using the Nurses' Health Studies I and II data and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Over 30+ years, 192,000 adult participants who were free of diabetes at the study's outset reported on their food habits, including chocolate consumption, as well as their diabetes status and body weight. By the end of the study period, nearly 19,000 participants reported being diagnosed with T2D. Of the almost 112,000 who reported specifically on their dark and milk chocolate intake, nearly 5,000 were diagnosed with T2D.

The study found that participants who consumed at least five ounces of any type of chocolate per week had a 10% lower risk of T2D than those who never or rarely consumed chocolate. Dark chocolate had an even more significant impact: Participants who ranked at least five servings of this chocolate weekly showed a 21% lower risk of T2D. The researchers also observed a 3% reduction in risk for every serving of dark chocolate consumed weekly. Consumption of milk chocolate, meanwhile, was not associated with reduced T2D risk. Increased consumption of milk chocolate, but not dark chocolate, was related to long-term weight gain, a potential contributor to the development of T2D.

"We were surprised by the clear split between dark and milk chocolate's impact on diabetes risk and long-term weight management," said corresponding author Qi Sun, associate professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology. "Even though dark and milk chocolate have similar levels of calories and saturated fat, it appears that the rich polyphenols in dark chocolate might offset the effects of saturated fat and sugar on weight gain and diabetes. It's an intriguing difference that's worth exploring more."

The authors noted that participants' chocolate consumption could have been higher than previously recorded national averages and that the findings may not apply to individuals with very high chocolate consumption.

Other Harvard Chan authors included Lu Zhu, Yang Hu, JoAnn Manson, Molin Wang, Eric Rimm, and Frank Hu.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (grants UM1 CA186107, P01 CA87969, R01 HL034594, U01 CA176726, U01 CA167552, R01 HL035464, R01 HL60712, R01 DK120870, R01 DK126698, R01 DK119268, U2C DK129670, R01 ES022981, and R21 AG070375).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY

-
Image
  PEOPLE WITH OBESITY BURN LESS CALORIES DURING THE DAY Building on prior studies with healthy-weight participants, the new research includes different body sizes.         New research indicates that weight influences how and when bodies burn energy. An Oregon Health & Science University study published in the journal  Obesity  found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who are obese spend more energy during the night when most people sleep. The study also found that during the day, those with obesity have higher levels of the hormone insulin -- a sign that the body is working harder to use glucose, an energy-packed sugar. "It was surprising to learn how dramatically the timing of when our bodies burn energy differed in those with obesity," said the study's first author, Andrew McHill, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the OHSU School of Nursing and the Oregon Institute of ...
Read more

WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?

-
Image
  WHAT CAUSES ITCHING, AND WHAT STOPS IT?         It can be a relief to scratch the occasional itch, but when itch gets out of control, it can become a severe health problem. How does the body know when to stop? Scientists at UC San Francisco are getting close to an answer. In a breakthrough that could transform how doctors treat conditions from eczema to allergies, they have discovered a feedback loop centered on a single immune protein called IL-31 that causes the urge to itch and dials back nearby inflammation. The findings, published on October 13th in  Science Immunology , lay the groundwork for a new generation of drugs that interact more intelligently with the body's innate self-regulating ability. Previous approaches suggested that IL-31 signals itch and promotes skin inflammation. However, the UCSF team discovered that nerve cells, or neurons, that respond to IL-31, triggering a scratch, also prevent immune cells from overreacting and causing more ...
Read more

A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY

-
Image
  A VEGAN DIET IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH, ACCORDING TO A NEW STUDY         In a study with 22 pairs of identical twins, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues have found that a vegan diet improves cardiovascular health in as little as eight weeks. Although it's well-known that eating less meat improves cardiovascular health, diet studies often need to be enhanced by genetic differences, upbringing, and lifestyle choices. By studying identical twins, however, the researchers were able to control for genetics and limit the other factors, as the twins grew up in the same households and reported similar lifestyles. "Not only did this study provide a groundbreaking way to assert that a vegan diet is healthier than the conventional omnivore diet, but the twins were also a riot to work with," said Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor and a professor of medicine. "They dressed the same, they talked the same, and they had a banter ...
Read more