Chocolate could reduce risk of diabetes, according to study

Tue, 30 Aug 2011
A new study has produced findings that will bring some cheer to all chocaholics out there. Scientists from the University of Cambridge found that chocolate could lower the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

The research, which was published in the British Medical Journal, examined seven separate studies involving over 100,000 people, showed that five of them suggested a positive relationship between greater levels of chocolate consumption and a reduced lower risk of the conditions.

It was revealed that those who consumed the most chocolate saw a 37 per cent reduced risk of heart disease and a 29 per cent lower risk of stroke, as compared to people that eat the least amount. In addition, one of the five studies showed a 31 per cent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes for people who ate a lot of chocolate. The studies involved all main types of chocolate and ways in which is can be consumed, such as in bars, biscuits, drinks and desserts .

Despite the positive findings, the scientists did warn that the findings did not necessarily show that eating a lot of chocolate was good for you, as it can cause weight gain, which can raise the risk of diabetes and other diseases.

As Victoria Taylor of the British Heart Foundation, commented "Evidence does suggest chocolate might have some heart health benefits but we need to find out why that might be. We can't start advising people to eat lots of chocolate based on this research."

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