DARK chocolate can protect against Type 2 diabetes, a study shows.
People who ate three squares of a large bar five times per week were found to be 21 per cent less likely to develop the condition.
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But those who ate milk chocolate gained more weight — putting them at higher risk.
Type 2 diabetes is often triggered by a diet heavy with junk food and sugar.
More than four million Brits have it, and prescriptions for treating the disease cost the NHS £1.5billion per year.
However, the scientists from Harvard University in Boston, US, think the high concentrations of antioxidants from cocoa beans in dark chocolate can help the body absorb sugar from the blood — and “offset the effects of saturated fat and sugar on weight gain and diabetes”.
Neither milk nor white chocolate contain enough cocoa to do the same. The team looked at food and health records of 192,000 people over 30 years.
But charity Diabetes UK said it advises a “balanced diet, physical activity and sustained weight loss” over dark chocolate as a way to reduce the risk of developing Type 2.
How to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
According to Diabetes UK, there are a few diet tweaks you can make to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes:
- Choose drinks without added sugar – skip out the sugar in your tea and coffee and stay away from fizzy and energy drinks
- Eat whole grains such as brown rice, wholewheat pasta, wholemeal flour, wholegrain bread and oats instead of refined carbs
- Cut down on red and processed meat like bacon, ham, sausages, pork, beef and lamb
- Eat plenty of fruit and veg – apples, grapes, berries, and green leafy veg such as spinach, kale, watercress, and rocket have been associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
- Have unsweetened yoghurt and cheese
- Cut down on booze – and have a few days a week with none at all
- Have healthy snacks like unsweetened yoghurt, unsalted nuts, seeds and fruit and veg
- Eat healthy fats included in nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil
- Cut down on salt
- Get your vitamins and minerals from food instead of tablets
