“A randomized trial of chocolate for metabolic benefits in humans may be merited.”
The media release is below.
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More frequently eating chocolate appears related to lower BMI
CHICAGO – More frequently eating chocolate was linked to lower body mass index (BMI), according to a research letter in the March 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Consumption of certain types of chocolate has been linked to some favorable metabolic associations with blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level. However, because chocolate can be a calorie-laden sweet there are concerns about eating it.
Beatrice A. Golomb, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues with the University of California, San Diego, studied 1,018 men and woman without known cardiovascular disease, diabetes or extremes of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels who were screened for participation in a clinical study examining noncardiac effects of statins. To measure chocolate consumption, 1,017 of the participants answered a question about how many times per week they ate chocolate. BMI was calculated for 972 of them. Of the participants, 975 completed a food frequency questionnaire.
“Adults who consumed chocolate more frequently had a lower BMI than those who consumed chocolate less often,” the authors note.
Participants had a mean (average) age of 57 years, 68 percent were men and the mean BMI was 28. They ate chocolate a mean (average) of two times a week and exercised 3.6 times a week.
“In conclusion, our findings – that more frequent chocolate intake is linked to lower BMI – are intriguing,” the authors conclude. “A randomized trial of chocolate for metabolic benefits in humans may be merited.”
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It’s great to know we are so damn wealthy we
can “study” this.
I think we can layoff “Beatrice A. Golomb, M.D.,
Ph.D., and colleagues with the University of California, San Diego.”
I would think exercising 3.6 times a week would result in a lower BMI, long before eating chocolate would become a positive factor…. but that’s just me!
Reverse causality. People with poor health eat less chocolate in an attempt to lose weight. It is more likely that a thin person who isn’t on a diet will indulge (or be willing to admit to indulge) in chocolate on a frequent basis. A person who is heavyset is more likely to be dieting and will either not eat chocolate as much, or in an attempt to escape judgement from the researchers, will lie about the amount of chocolate they eat.
This is a major problem with self-reported consumption with non-accepted behaviors. Society considers being overweight a cardinal sin, and eating “junk food” while overweight carries a heavy stigma. Because of this, heavy people are more likely to lie to themselves or the researchers about how much they eat.
Does Hershey’s count as chocolate?