Another reason to love dark chocolate

A sweet treat that benefits your health sounds too good to be true, but a new study found dark chocolate may be just what the doctor ordered – in moderation, of course.

Researchers found eating at least five 1-ounce servings of dark chocolate each week may lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 21%.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when your pancreas does not make enough insulin which makes maintaining a steady blood sugar level difficult.

Unfortunately, if you are more of a fan of eating milk or white chocolate, your risk for developing diabetes doesn’t decrease. In fact, the study found people who eat milk chocolate are more likely to gain weight which is a contributing factor for diabetes and heart disease.

“Each type of chocolate contains varying levels of cocoa,” explains Veronica Wagner, a registered dietitian at Advocate Health Care. “The more cocoa, the less room there is for added sugars and fats. That’s why dark chocolate is seen as the healthier chocolate variety since it contains the highest amount of cocoa.”

Dark chocolate also has anti-inflammatory antioxidants and blood sugar stabilizing polyphenols.

“To reduce your risk for diabetes, it’s best to focus on eating non-starchy vegetables, fruit, lean proteins and whole grains rather than dark chocolate,” Wagner explains. “It’s also best to drink water instead of alcohol and sugary beverages.”

Exercise is also an excellent way to prevent diabetes since it helps promote weight loss, stabilizes blood sugar and lowers your cholesterol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the average adult completes at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.

Want to learn more about your risk for diabetes? Take a free online quiz.