For dieters it’s the ultimate sin: Sipping on wine or biting into a piece of chocolate after an evening meal. However, doing so now may actually be a good idea, according to recent research published in The Journal of Nutrition.
The study, which was carried out by researchers from the Kings College London and The University of East Anglia, says that consuming a diet full of a key antioxidant called flavonoids may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes–and you’ll find these antioxidants in your favorite wine or chocolate snack.
“We showed that the anthocyanins–compounds responsible for the red/blue color of berries and other fruits and vegetables–can improve the way we handle glucose and insulin and reduce inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes,” says lead researcher Aedin Cassidy of the University of East Anglia. “These data suggest we should be eating more of these flavonoid-rich foods in our diet.”
Why Flavonoids Reduce Type 2 Diabetes
For most people, it sounds too good to be true: Snacking on chocolate and sipping wine for a lower diabetes risk. But believe it or not, that’s exactly what researchers found–by looking at how a woman’s overall flavonoid intake affected their risk of type 2 diabetes.
To begin her research, Cassidy examined the health profiles of nearly 2,000 women between the ages of 18 to 76 years old who participated in the TwinsUK study, one of the largest UK registries conducted on the health data of biological twins. She then looked carefully at their diet–namely the amount of antioxidants they consumed, including flaonoids, anthocyanins, and flavanones.
As a result, Cassidy discovered that the women who consumed the highest levels of flavones and anthocyanins, two types of flavonoid antioxidants, had lower insulin resistance.
And this, according to About.com expert Laura Dolson, has everything to do with diabetes.
“Insulin resistance is a decreased ability of some of the cells of the body to respond to insulin,” says Dolson. “Besides general weight gain, insulin resistance is associated with abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and low HDL (“good cholesterol”). These conditions are part of a constellation of problems called metabolic syndrome (also called insulin resistance syndrome). Because this group of symptoms occurs together, it’s hard to know what causes what, but metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.”
For Cassidy, she too believes this indicates that eating foods high in flavonoid compounds–especially chocolate–may be the key to having better insulin control. And when that’s in play, your risk of diabetes is low as well.
“In general, dark chocolate contains more of the powerful bioactive compounds, and addition of a small amount of chocolate to an otherwise healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables could be important for prevention efforts to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes,” says Cassidy.
What You Should Do
If you’re worried about your type 2 diabetes risk, then it’s time make a change. Add a serving or two of dark chocolate or wine into your daily diet as a helpful way to keep insulin resistance at bay–and enjoy a tastier way of slimming down (chocolate may also help you lose more weight, surprisingly enough).
Readers: Do you have chocolate or wine regularly? Why or why not?
Sources:
Insulin Resistance – About.com
Study: Flavonoids Lower Risk of Type 2 Diabetes – MedicalNewsToday.com
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