Dark Chocolate: A Bittersweet Remedy for Diabetes Risk

Question

Eating dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate may be linked to a lower risk for type 2 diabetes, suggested a long-term US study.

According to the article, dark chocolate's natural compounds can benefit heart health and prevent diabetes. This theory was tested in 3 long-term experiments with female nurses and male healthcare workers. A hundred thousand adults have reported chocolate intake since 1986 as part of their experiment. The article provides additional statistics about the dietary and scientific facts about how the compounds of chocolate affect type 2 diabetes. NPR News also has information indicating that dark chocolate can lower the first of type 2 diabetes.

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/12/05/nx-s1-5215929/dark-chocolate-diabetes-diet-blood-pressure#:~:text=Dark%20Chocolate%20and%20diabetes&text=Now%2C%20a%20new%20study%20finds,who%20don't%20consume%20it.

Comments

Dark Chocolate can reduce type 2 diabetes. Compared to milk chocolate it reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes but its not compared to no chocolate consumption. Milk chocolate didn't show correlation to type 2 diabetes but it could lead to wait gain. While eating dark chocolate it has been known for a lot of impotnce in people lifestyle like diet and excerise.

Answer 1

While dark chocolate does reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, the study linked above from Medscape clarifies that the reduced risk is compared to the consumption of milk chocolate. For clarification, this study does not say that eating dark chocolate multiple times a week will keep you from getting diabetes, it says that eating dark chocolate multiple times a week is healthier than eating milk chocolate multiple times a week. The NPR article even states "Don't eat too much!" at the end of the article.

Comments

I really like how you clarified the claim here because I feel like a lot of people see headlines like “Dark Chocolate Prevents Diabetes!” and immediately take it way out of context. It’s super important that you pointed out the comparison being made is between dark chocolate and milk chocolate — not dark chocolate versus no chocolate at all. That totally changes the meaning of the study.

Answer 2

Eating dark chocolate linked with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. According to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, study participants who consumed at least five servings of any chocolate per week showed a 10% lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to those who rarely or never ate chocolate. Dark chocolate had an even bigger impact: Participants who consumed at least five servings of this chocolate per week showed a 21% lower risk of T2D.

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1066724?

Answer 3

This claim is accurate but can be misleading. It has been studied that dark chocolate has been associated with a lower risk of diabetes. It has not technically been named as a preventative for type 2 diabetes, but can be a healthier alternative for other chocolates that are richer in sugars and fats. There are some healthy components of dark chocolate, but it is not necessarily a cure for type 2 diabetes. This study has shown this using a sample. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/eating-dark-chocolate-linked-with-reduced-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/

Answer 4

The second article linked is written by Medscape. After evaluating the site we found that Medscape is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Commission and used to provide education towards nursing. Likewise, the writer behind the NPR article linked is Allison Aubrey, is a verified food scientist. She is also a winner of the 2021 Recognizing Excellence in Advancing Health Literacy award. In the NPR article, Jeffery S Tessem is referenced as a source and he is very credible as a researcher at Brigham Young University. 

https://mmbio.byu.edu/directory/jeffery-tessem

https://mmbio.byu.edu/tessem-lab

Overall, both articles are very well informed and they reference solid sources. When looking into the claim itself many other sources also state that dark chocolate is beneficial for possibly preventing type 2 diabetes. However, it must be remembered that to balance the benefits of dark chocolate without over-consuming, researchers advise to only eat an ounce a day.

 

Answer 5

It is true that eating dark chocolate can lower risk for type 2 diabetes. According to the British Medical Journal, the claim that the 3 long-term experiments took place is true but it was nowhere to be found that there were a hundred thousand adults participating in the study. The link within the NPR article regarding the scientific facts about the compounds of chocolate didn't mention diabetes but other articles do. Based off his statement it infers that people should eat more dark chocolate which isn't the case so including a disclaimer would have been helpful.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/19/415527652/chocolate-chocolate-its-good-for-your-heart-study-finds

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/eating-dark-chocolate-linked-with-reduced-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dark-chocolate-may-help-lower-type-2-diabetes-risk

Answer 6

The theory that eating dark chocolate can help lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes is accurate. Although, stating that milk chocolate is essentially bad for you is not accurate because the Medscape source only talks about the comparison in trying to have a healthy diet. Surely dark chocolate has less sugar than milk chocolate but overall the flavanols in dark chocolate help ameliorate insulin resistance which balances glucose levels in the human body. Within cocoa the flavanoids help regulate insulin sensitivity and stop the progression of Type 2 Diabetes. Adding dark chocolate to your diet will not entirely stop you from getting Type 2 Diabetes. Also the NPR source really emphasizes on the fact that milk chocolate has more sugar and tends to increase people's weight which can lead to diabetes. Due to the polyphenols in dark chocolate it can off balance the amount of sugar and fat which is higher in milk chocolate. I would stay true to the fact that dark chocolate helps reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes but adding the comparison to milk chocolate makes the statement untrustworthy as it isn't entirely fact based.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5699188/

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/eating-dark-chocolate-linked-with-reduced-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/

Answer 7

The article above states recent findings on dark chocolate being consumed reducing the rick of Type 2 Diabetes. A study that involved over 192,000 people showed that eating an ounce of dark chocolate daily had a 21% lower risk in developing diabetes. The effects of dark chocolate are believed to improve insulin sensitivity and heart health. However, in the study it was also found that milk chocolate had no benefits. One important thing to note is that people who consume dark chocolate may have other healthy lifestyle habits, which could help the findings.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/19/415527652/chocolate-chocolate-its-good-for-your-heart-study-finds

Answer 8

There’s some truth to this, but the claim oversimplifies the science. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, antioxidants that may support heart and metabolic health. Studies like the Nurses' Health Study and research highlighted by NPR found a correlation between moderate chocolate consumption and reduced diabetes risk. However, these studies are observational, meaning they don’t prove chocolate caused the effect.

A review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also suggests flavanol-rich foods might improve insulin sensitivity, but results are mixed and dark chocolate still contains sugar and fat. Overconsumption could outweigh any benefits.

In short, dark chocolate may offer some health perks, but it’s not a cure or guaranteed protection against diabetes. Moderation is key.

NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/12/05/nx-s1-5215929/dark-chocolate-diabetes-diet-blood-pressure

Medscape: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/dark-chocolate-bittersweet-remedy-diabetes-risk-2024a1000mg2

Harvard: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/food-features/dark-chocolate/