New study finds weekly chocolate intake lowers diabetes risk, media report
Medical Daily reported on new research from the Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study (MSLS) that confirms people who eat chocolate at least once a week have a lower prevalence of diabetes and are at lower risk for a diagnosis of diabetes four to five years later. The study also indicates the relation between the frequency of chocolate consumption may be due to an active choice on the part of diabetics. For example, diabetics may choose to reduce their frequency of chocolate consumption in an effort to reduce sweets, noted the researchers, who published their findings in the journal Appetite. The research team was led by nutritionist and psychologist Georgina Crichton of the University of South Australia, and University of Maine psychology researchers Merrill “Pete” Elias, Peter Dearborn and Michael Robbins. “Consuming chocolate at least once a week very much appears to be a win-win with regard to health benefits and cognitive performance for those who do not have special health restrictions on chocolate,” Elias said. Medical Xpress also published a UMaine news release about the study. WABI-TV5 and EcoGreenData also covered the story.