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Chocolate lovers, rejoice. For the longest time, you have stolen a chunk or two of that dark chocolate bar lying in your fridge, and upon being busted all you had to say in your defence was ‘But..dark chocolate is healthy!’ Well, guess what, according to a latest study, eating milk chocolate may also have its own set of benefits. According to a latest study on postmenopausal women, eating a concentrated amount of chocolate in particular amount of time during morning may actually help burn fat and also positively impact the blood sugar levels. The FASEB Journal published the study which was carried out by researchers from Brigham who collaborated with the University of Murcia in Spain.
The Trial:
The team conducted a controlled, randomised, cross-over trial of 19 postmenopausal women. The women were divided in groups who either consumed 100g of chocolate in the morning (within one hour after waking time) or at night (within one hour before bedtime). The weight gain was then compared.
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According to the report, chocolate intake in morning or night-time did not lead to weight gain. However, eating chocolate in the morning or in the evening could influence hunger and appetite, in addition to sleep, microbiota composition and more the study stated. A sizeable intake of chocolate during morning hours was shown to be helpful in burning fat and reducing blood sugar levels too. At the same time, evening and night chocolate intake altered the following morning’s resting and exercise metabolism.
The study highlights not just ‘what’ to eat but also ‘when’ to eat, which can possibly impact physiological mechanisms involved in the regulation of body weight.
Despite increase in calorie-intake the participants didn’t tend to gain wait, which goes to show that there are multiple parameters involved, the researcher said. While one needs to be mindful of their diet but also keep these parameters in mind.
As per the study’s findings chocolate helped reduce ad libitum energy intake which was found to be consistent with reduction in appetite, hunger and desire for eating more sweets.
