Dark Chocolate to Fight Obesity and Type-2 Diabetes?

Dark chocolate has recently been associated with health benefits. From increasing satiety to lowering blood pressure, ingredients of chocolate have been shown to have a positive impact on health and the potential health benefits continue to pile up. Researchers have now found a particular ingredient that may even help prevent obesity as well as type-2 diabetes.

Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, is rich in flavanols. Flavanols, a type of antioxidant found in grapes and tea, have been reported to aid weight loss and prevent type-2 diabetes. However, flavanols exist in different forms. Cocoa contains several different kinds of these compounds.

Groups of mice were fed different diets, including high-fat and low-fat diets, and high-fat diets supplemented with different kinds of flavanols. Researchers found that adding one particular set of these compounds, known as oligomeric procyanidins (PCs), to the food made the biggest difference in keeping the mice's weight down if they were on high-fat diets. It also improved glucose tolerance, which could potentially help prevent type-2 diabetes.