Eating dark chocolate has been linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Although consumption of milk chocolate has not been associated with risk reduction, physicians said Wednesday that people who ate at least five sweet servings of any chocolate each week saw their risk lowered by 10 percent compared to people who rarely or never ate chocolate.
Those who consumed the same amount of dark chocolate had their risk slashed by 21 percent. Researchers also observed a three percent reduction in risk for every serving of dark chocolate consumed weekly.
“Our findings suggest that not all chocolate is created equal,” Binkai Liu, a doctoral student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement. “For anyone who loves chocolate, this is a reminder that making small choices, like choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate, can make a positive difference to their health.”
Liu was the lead author of the National Institutes of Health-funded research which was published Wednesday night in the journal The BMJ.
Liu’s study included data from more than 30 years in 192,000 participants who were diabetes-free when they started reporting on their food habits.
By its end, nearly 19,000 reported being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and, of the nearly 112,000 who specifically detailed their dark and milk chocolate intake, nearly 5,000 were diagnosed.
Participants’ consumption was low relative to previously recorded national averages. The authors said their findings may not apply to individuals with very high chocolate consumption.
Notably eating milk chocolate, but not dark chocolate, was associated with excessive long-term weight gain: a factor that potentially contributes to the development of the chronic disease.
“We were surprised by the clear split between dark and milk chocolate’s impact on diabetes risk and long-term weight management,” corresponding author Qi Sun, an associate professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology, said.
“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,” he said.
Polyphenols are chemical compounds found in plants that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
More than 38 million Americans have diabetes, and between 90 and 95 percent have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes occurs when a person can’t produce or use insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, properly. This results in high blood sugar levels.
There is no cure, but it can be reversed, according to UCLA Medical School.