A study in the United States showed that eating no less than 140 grams of dark chocolate per week may be associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The relevant research report was published in the British Medical Journal on December 4 .

Researchers from Harvard University’s Chen Zengxi School of Public Health analyzed three surveys involving dietary habits for 20 to 30 years, and counted the consumption of dark chocolate and milk chocolate by more than 110,000 chocolate enthusiasts among the surveyed subjects.

After removing risk factors such as diet and lifestyle, the researchers found that people who eat at least 140 grams of any type of chocolate per week have a 10% lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes than people who eat at least 140 grams of dark chocolate per week ; people who eat at least 140 grams of dark chocolate per week have a 21% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes . However, eating only milk chocolate for a long time does not significantly reduce the risk of diabetes and can also lead to weight gain.

The researchers explained that dark chocolate and milk chocolate are not much different in terms of sugar addition and fat and calorie levels. The key is that dark chocolate contains more cocoa, which contains a lot of flavanol. Previous animal and small-scale human experiments have shown that flavanols can improve insulin sensitivity and reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses, all of which are part of the pathophysiology of diabetes.

But the researchers also pointed out that although their results showed an association between eating dark chocolate and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, they could not prove that there is a causal relationship between the two.

In addition, the study has certain limitations: the older adult whites were all older, and the consumption of chocolate was relatively low.

The results of this study also conflict with a December 2023 study involving cocoa flavanol, which did not find that consumption of cocoa helps reduce the risk of diabetes.

Some experts believe that chocolate is a candy and contains sugar. In order to better control blood sugar, healthy people can consume flavanol through other sources, such as dark berries such as blueberries and blackberries, as well as pomegranates, apples and tea. But if you are a chocolate lover, it doesn’t matter if you eat a small amount of dark chocolate every week.