A new study published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, indicates that researchers have identified a specific ingredient in chocolate that may be responsible for anti-diabetes and weight loss benefits. Can chocolate for weight loss actually be beneficial?
Researchers have known for quite some time now that cocoa is a leader when it comes to foods rich in flavanol. Flavanol has the potential to lower blood sugar, decrease body fat and boost cardiovascular health. What researchers haven’t known is which flavanols are responsible for each of these health benefits.
The goal of this study, conducted by a group of researchers at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, was to test a number of different cocoa compounds to find out which were the most effective for preventing weight gain and associated obesity. Which compound came out on top? A group of compounds known as oligomeric procyanidins (or OPCs). Researchers found that OPCs can help to regulate blood glucose levels. Regulation of blood glucose levels indicates that this compound may prove to be useful in the treatment of diabetes. Oligomeric procyanidins appear to have the greatest anti-obesity and anti-diabetic bioactivites than any of the other flavanols in cocoa.
How did the study work? This study was conducted on groups of mice. Mice were separated into groups and fed a fat-filled diet along with a variety of supplements over a 12 week time frame. One group of mice received a cocoa flavanol extract, while the other groups received polymeric procyanidins, oligomeric procyanidins or monomeric procyanidins. Mice, who received oligomeric procyanidins had the lowest body weight, lowest body mass and were least likely to develop glucose intolerance.
You may have heard before that dark chocolate, in small quantities, has been proven to boost brain function, improve cardiovascular function and even help to reduce your risk of developing cancer, but research has never before been conducted on the use of chocolate for weight loss.
It is important to remember that there is still plenty of research to be done to isolate the compounds in cocoa that provide us with such remarkable health benefits. Before sitting down with a chocolate bar, it is important to remember that cocoa is not the only ingredient in a chocolate bar. There is plenty of fat and sugar in chocolate. If you are struggling with obesity or have diabetes, fat and sugar are not exactly items you want to be consuming.
By isolating the flavanols in chocolate, researchers may one day be able to offer the health benefits of cocoa in a more concentrated and purified form.
New Study: Chocolate for Weight Loss
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