Chocolate consumption lowers body fat (no, really)

Finally, the news we’ve all been hoping for has arrived: researchers have discovered that the more chocolate you eat, the lower your body fat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean that munching your way through a family-sized block each day will help you become bikini-ready in time for summer, but nevertheless it’s good news for chocolate lovers: your addiction may be helping, rather than harming, your health.

In an article published in the journal Nutrition, researchers from the University of Granada have shown that higher consumption of chocolate is associated with lower levels of total fat and central (abdominal) fat, independent of an individual’s diet and whether they exercise regularly, among other factors.

Examining data from the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) study, the researchers aimed to determine whether greater chocolate consumption was associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and other indicators of total and central body fat in adolescents.

The data showed that a higher level of chocolate consumption was associated with lower levels of total and central fat when these were estimated through body mass index, body fat percentage and waist circumference. The results were independent of the participant’s gender, age, sexual maturation, total energy intake, intake of saturated fats, fruit and vegetables, consumption of tea and coffee, and physical activity.

Although chocolate is considered a high energy content food, “recent studies in adults suggest chocolate consumption is associated with a lower risk of cardiometabolic disorders”, said Magdalena Cuenca-García, principal author of the study.

While sugar is rich in sugars and saturated fats, it is also rich in flavonoids - and, in particular, catechins - which have many health benefits. “They have important antioxidant, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive effects and can help prevent ischemic heart disease,” Cuenca-García said.

Another cross-sectional study in adults conducted by the University of California found that more frequent chocolate consumption is also associated with a lower BMI. These results were confirmed in a longitudinal study in women following a catechin-rich diet.

Researchers speculate that the effect could be partly due to the influence of catechins on cortisol production and insulin sensitivity, both of which are associated with overweight and obesity.

In the Nutrition article, the researchers stress that the biological impact of foods should not be determined solely on calories. “The most recent epidemiologic research focuses on studying the relation between specific foods - both for their calorie content and for their components - and the risk factors for developing chronic illnesses, including overweight and obesity,” the authors wrote.

The results don’t mean that chowing down on a family block will become the next diet craze, however. The researchers insist that chocolate consumption be moderate. “In moderate quantities, chocolate can be good for you, as our study has shown,” the researchers wrote. “But, undoubtedly, excessive consumption is prejudicial. As they say: you can have too much of a good thing.”