Eating dark chocolate daily lowers risk of diabetes.

Question

"Eating a few servings of dark chocolate each week has been found to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

People who ate at least five servings of dark chocolate per week had a 21% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to people who ate dark chocolate rarely, if ever, according to a study published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal.

Eating more dark chocolate servings per week seemed to only help. Researchers found a 3% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes for each additional weekly serving of dark chocolate."

Comments

Hi! I really appreciate the thoroughness of this fact check. It’s impressive how your source not only referenced a study conducted by the British Medical Journal but also incorporated claims from the CDC to provide a well-rounded perspective. Citing such reputable sources adds significant credibility and ensures that the information is both accurate and reliable. Great work!

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After reading on this fact I found it very helpful and interesting. I feel like if you hear the word chocolate you wouldn't think it is healthy but after reading about it their are many things that go into dark chocolate that is good for you which is why it is healthy. After looking through a variety of different sources I agree that dark chocolate is healthy for lowering risk of diabetes and helps with muscle movements.

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The claim that "eating dark chocolate daily lowers the risk of diabetes" is correct and supported by new studies. According to a research in The BMJ, people who ate at least five servings of dark chocolate a week were 21% less likely to acquire type 2 diabetes than people who ate it rarely or never. A 3% decrease in risk was linked to each extra serving per week. Dark chocolate's high flavonoid content is thought to have positive effects on managing blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.

https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj-2023-078386

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The claim that eating a few serving of dark chocolate each week reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes is correct. The source you provided sites the study from BMJ.com that talks about statistics during the study of 192 208 participants without T2D, cardiovascular disease, or cancer participating. It been found that participants who consumed ≥5 servings/week of dark chocolate had a significant 21% (5% to 34%) lower rate of T2D compared with those who never or rarely ate dark chocolate, and a significant linear trend across four groups was observed (P trend=0.006). I found similar articles on guardian and cnn referring to the same study which makes it more trustable.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/04/eating-dark-chocolate-regularly-could-reduce-type-2-diabetes-risk-study-finds

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/04/health/dark-chocolate-type-2-diabetes-wellness/index.html

Answer 1

I believe this claim is true, based off of a study conducted by Dr Binkai Liu of Harvard School of Public Health, the study was based off of 192,000 adults who were all free of diabetes over a 30+ year time span. The study focused on their food intake and habits (including their chocolate intake) their weight as well as the status of their diabetes. By the end of the study 19,000 of them had type two diabetes and of the original number of participants 112,000 of them spoke on their chocolate habits 5,000 of them were diagnosed with type two diabetes, overall of the participants that had chocolate at least once a week resulted in a 10% lower risk for diabetes on top of that those who had at least 5 servings of dark chocolate a week lowered their risk by 21%. In conclusion eating dark chocolate is proven to reduce the risk of type two diabetes however there is still a lot of external factors that can lead to type two diabetes. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/eating-dark-chocolate-linked-with-reduced-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/

Answer 2

I found this to be somewhat actually, which is ironic that chocolate is good for you. I read an article from dark-chocolate-sweet-way-reduce-diabetes-risk explaining the same facts listed above, that eating around five servings of dark chocolate a week can in fact decrease your chances of getting diabetes. This site actually has three different benefits to eating dark chocolate. It's hard to state that dark chocolate is factually good for you and improves health benefits, but whatever makes you happy. 

Answer 3

The article provided explores the link between the consumption of dark chocolate and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. I found various studies supporting this claim that because dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, it can improve insulin sensitivity, which may lower the risk of diabetes. These studies were observational and do not establish causation however, it is worth noting the relatively large reduction in developing type 2 diabetes. Regardless of these findings, moderation is still essential. The high calories and added sugars can still contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess. As weight gain is a key risk factor for developing diabetes, dark chocolate can support overall health but should not be seen as a guaranteed way to prevent diabetes.

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

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/dark-chocolate-may-lower-diabetes-risk?utm_source

Answer 4

Yes eating dark chocolate daily can actually decrease your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Surprisingly enough the sweet treat has multiple different health benefits. According to a study done by Harvard, "Participants who consumed at least five servings of this chocolate per week showed a 21% lower risk of T2D. The researchers also observed a 3% reduction in risk for every serving of dark chocolate consumed per week" This revelation is because of “The bioactive compounds in cacao called flavanols have been shown in animal studies and small-scale human experimental studies to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, all of which are components in the pathophysiology of diabetes,” according to Dr. Nestoras Mathioudakis, co-medical director of the Diabetes Prevention and Education Program at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. The polyphenols within the chocolate counteract the saturated fat and sugar that is within the chocolate. Using this research one can begin taking steps to lowering the risk of type two diabetes however they should understand that these benefits are for dark chocolate only not milk chocolate. This is because milk chocolate lacks the polyphenols and the cacao is diluted by the solution used to make milk chocolate. Therefore, this claim is true but it needs to be highlighted that this is only true for Dark chocolate not all types of the sweet treat!

Articles: eating-dark-chocolate-linked-with-reduced-risk-of-type-2-diabetes

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/dark-chocolate-may-lower-diabetes-risk

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/04/health/dark-chocolate-type-2-diabetes-wellness/index.html

 

Answer 5

Eating dark chocolate daily does in fact lower the risk of diabetes. The writer of this claim provides factual, valid supporting evidence, and tends to stay on track about the subject at hand. According to the linked article, written by ABC news, the title is almost word for word compared to this users' statement. In the title, ABC states,"Daily dose of dark chocolate may lower diabetes risk, study finds." Right undernealth, the subheading reads, "Milk chocolate was not found by researchers to have the same affect." According to ABC, eating dark chocolate consistently lowers the risk of type two diabetes. They provide statistics from the British Medical Journal as well, stating that those who ate 5 servings of dark chocolate a week have a 21% lower risk of developing type two diabetes. Because of this statement, I began to research the statement in order to make sure it was true, unexaggerated, and valid enough for the title statement. After researching into the British Medical Journal, I found the statement almost word for word, "In analyses by chocolate subtypes, 4771 people with incident T2D were identified. Participants who consumed 5 servings/week of dark chocolate showed a significant 21% lower risk of T2D. No significant associations were found for milk chocolate intake."Not only does the author of this published statement provide clear, locatable evidence, but the article ABC news published also provides the same, clear evidence. The British Medical Journal is definitely a credible source, providing doctors and medical specialists who have studied topics like diabtes and its affects for years. I thought it would be important to find another article supporting this claim, so another that I thought was significant to this topic was on Medical News Today. They publised an article titled, "Dark chocolate may help lower type two diabetes risk." In the article, they also refer to the BMJ (British medical journal) and their conducted study. They repeat the same evidece, stating that 5 or more servings of dark chocolate a week can lower your chance of type two diabetes by 21%

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/daily-dose-dark-chocolate-lower-diabetes-risk-study/story?id=116498900

https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj-2023-078386

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

Answer 6

Dark chocolate, while still important to eat in moderation, does have health benefits and evidence to support a decreased risk of diabetes. Researchers at Brigham Young University injected epicatechins from the dark cocoa into beta cells in petri dishes and found that they were able to release insulin at a better rate, which would help decrease the risk of diabetes. Multiples studies have been done as well, with one Harvard study finding a 21% lower risk of type 2 diabetes for people with a habit of eating dark chocolate.

Of course, moderation is still important. Something to note about these studies is lifestyle habits too. Dark chocolate is seen as a healthier choice and those who actively seek dark chocolate may seek other healthy habits as well. Chocolate is still chocolate, so it shouldn't be the main staple of a diet. 

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

Answer 7

I found this to be true. After reading the article in the original post states that eating dark chocolate can lower your risk of getting type 2 Diabetes by as much as 3%. With a simple google search I was able to find a plethora of credible sources saying the same thing.

Most notable source: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/dark-chocolate-may-lower-diabetes-risk

Answer 8

Yes, it is true that eating dark chocolate daily reduces a person's risk of type two diabetes, however more research needs to be done in order to fully understand why,  or how it can effect people outside the typical "norm". The article also states that eating more than five servings of dark chocolate per week seemed to only help, but looking through the study they're referencing, I wasn't able to find anything. I'm not the most experienced at reading through medical journals, however, so it's possible I missed something.

https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj-2023-078386

Answer 9

Yes this true consuming dark chocolate does decrease the risk of diabetes, specifically type 2 diabetes. 

This Healthline article stated that "An observational study published... [resulted in] participants who consumed five or more weekly servings of dark chocolate had a 21% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes."

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/dark-chocolate-may-lower-diabetes-risk

Answer 10

This claim is true! Dark chocolate contains Polyphenols, which "may improve insulin sensitivity, or how well insulin works in the body" as mentioned in an article on Abbott.com, regarding dark chocolate's benefits to health. Insulin is used to control blood sugar in diabetics, which further backs the accuracy of the claim. 

https://www.abbott.com/corpnewsroom/diabetes-care/dark-chocolate-and-diabetes.html