General wisdom says chocolate makes you fat. Thanks to Beatrice Golomb and her colleagues, we know that general wisdom is wrong, at least on this count.
Golomb, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and her colleagues recruited about 1000 men and women, measured their height and weight, and recorded how often they ate chocolate.
Golomb and her colleagues had hypothesized that a moderate, frequent chocolate habit might have zero effect on weight -- since chocolate has beneficial effects on metabolism, the researchers thought that maybe the calories in chocolate would be neutralized by its benefits.
What the researchers found was even more surprising -- regular chocolate eaters were actually thinner than their chocophobic peers, even though they ate a similar number of calories and exercised with similar frequency.
The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, is no doubt cause for celebration for chocolate lovers everywhere.
"Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight," said Golomb. "In the case of chocolate, this is good news -- both for those who have a regular chocolate habit, and those who may wish to start one."
More evidence for dark chocolate. Hopefully folks will stick with fair trade chocolate. Not a crunchy groove blue state thing, I just don't like to support child slavery.
I too love dark chocolate! I'm overweight and diabetic, so what do you suggest for that?
I can agree with ANY diet the involves chocolate consumption! Whooo Hooo Great Article!!
I've kept free from chocolate for years, but having hypothyroidism ~ and STILL putting on weight even though we eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly ~ I'll try anything to speed my metabolism up! Thank you so much!
Any of those 1000 subjects have diabetes??? Any hope for diabetic choco-holics?
Dark chocolate is full of healthful antioxidants, and I'm so glad it's good for you, because I love it! Eating it with almonds is good for you, too. But it has to be dark chocolate.
People, the study is about the metabolic effects of *DARK* chocolate only, not milk chocolate which is over-processed with fats and sugars.
I HAVE ALWAYS EATING CHOCOLATE, SPECIALLY DARK CHOCOLATE MY FAMILY WAS SAYING DONOT EACH SO MUCH, BUT I AM FOND OF CHOCOLATE EVEN SOME TIME I SKIP MEAL AND INSTEAD EACH CHOCOLATE, THANK YOU, YOU HAVE MADE MY EATING CHOCOLATE EASY AND AFTER READING THE E MAIL, MY WIFE BROUGHT A BAG OF CHOCOLATE OF HERSHEY'S AND SAID LATE US CELEBRATE THIS GOOD NEWS BEST REGARDS RAZZAK BILLOO