Chocolate Could Help to Prevent Heart Disease, Diabetes

Consuming a small amount of chocolate every day can improve liver enzymes and insulin levels, helping to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to new research from Luxembourg.

To examine the effect further, the researchers randomly selected 1153 participants aged 18 to 69 years in the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg study.
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The researchers administered food frequency questionnaires to gauge chocolate consumption, measured blood glucose and insulin levels via homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and assessed hepatic biomarkers.

After adjusting for factors such as age, sex, and coffee and tea intake, the researchers found that 81.8% of participants consumed about 25 g of chocolate every day.

Higher chocolate consumption was associated with lower HOMA-IR, serum insulin levels, and 2 hepatic biomarkers (serum γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase and serum alanine transaminase).

“This study reports an independent inverse relationship between daily chocolate consumption and levels of insulin, HOMA-IR, and liver enzymes in adults, suggesting that chocolate consumption may improve liver enzymes and protect against insulin resistance, a well-established risk factor for cardiometabolic disorders,” the researchers concluded.

“Further observational prospective research and well-designed randomised-controlled studies are needed to confirm this cross-sectional relationship and to comprehend the role and mechanisms that different types of chocolate may play in insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disorders.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Alkerwi A, Sauvageot N, Crichton GE, Elias MF, Stranges S. Daily chocolate consumption is inversely associated with insulin resistance and liver enzymes in the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg study. Br J Nutr. 2016;115(9):1661-1668. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007114516000702.