Diabetes risk can be reduced by 21% thanks to a type of chocolate

New research from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (USA) based on nearly 112,000 people shows some foods and drinks help prevent type 2 diabetes.

According to Science Alert, Harvard scientists analyzed a huge dataset of nearly 112,000 people, followed for 25 years, to assess how eating habits affect the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Dark chocolate or cocoa with less sugar and milk can help you fight diabetes and control your weight - (Illustration photo AI: ANH THU).

In it, volunteers were carefully surveyed about their chocolate-eating habits, one of the world's most popular snacks and often associated with obesity and diabetes.

Results published in the medical journal BMJ showed that people who ate more than five servings of dark chocolate per week had a 21% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who rarely or never ate chocolate.

In addition, it seemed that this treat helped them maintain a better weight and shape than others on a similar diet. No such relationship was found between milk chocolate and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, people who ate milk chocolate seemed to gain weight more easily.

The magical effects of dark chocolate come from a group of bioactive compounds called flavonoids , which are abundant in pure cocoa - the main ingredient to make chocolate bars.

To make chocolate, people often add sugar, milk and other additives. Chocolate is called "dark" when it contains 70-85% cocoa or more, depending on the region's point of view.

So, in addition to eating dark chocolate, you also have the option of making dishes and drinks from pure cocoa. Of course, to prevent type 2 diabetes, you need to make sure your chocolate bar or cup of cocoa is as "dark" and has as little sugar as possible.

The cocoa in milk chocolate is also good for health, but its anti-diabetic and weight-loss effects are outweighed by its high content of added sugars - including those in milk - which increase the risk of diabetes and obesity, the authors said.