New research from the University of California, in the United States, has found that consumption of certain types of chocolate is linked to some favourable metabolic associations with blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level.

Beatrice Golomb PhD and colleagues at the University of California studied 1,018 men and woman without known cardiovascular disease, diabetes or extremes of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.

To measure chocolate consumption, 1,017 of the participants answered a question about how many times per week they ate chocolate. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for 972 of the participants. Of the participants, 975 completed a food frequency questionnaire.

BMI is a measurement of human body fat based on an individual’s weight and height.

The research found that adults who consumed chocolate more frequently had a lower BMI than those who consumed chocolate less often.

Participants had an average age of 57 years, 68 per cent were men and the average BMI was 28. The participants ate chocolate an average of two times a week and exercised 3.6 times a week.

The authors said, “Our findings – that more frequent chocolate intake is linked to lower BMI – are intriguing. A randomized trial of chocolate for metabolic benefits in humans may be merited.”

The study was funded by a grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, and was supported by the University of California San Diego General Clinical Research Center.

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