Trying to lose weight? Don’t throw out the chocolate just yet…

According to new research, people who eat chocolate on a regular basis tend to be thinner than those who don’t. 

Whilst eating chocolate does boost calorie intake, a recent study published in Archives of Internal Medicine has revealed that regular chocolate consumption was actually related to a lower body mass index (BMI).

The study in question involved the investigation of diet, calorie intake and BMI in 1,000 American study participants.

Interestingly, the researchers found that it was the individuals who ate chocolate regularly throughout the week that were slimmer on average that those who only ate it occasionally.

Though more research is needed to cement the theory, researchers believe that the reason for this could be related to the fact that chocolate contains a number of ingredients that may favour weight loss as opposed to fat synthesis.

Dr Beatrice Golomb (lead author) and her research team believe that antioxidant compounds present in chocolate which are known as ‘catechins’, can improve muscle mass and reduce weight.

Whilst the muscle mass studies have only currently been conducted in rodents, the findings so far have shown that epicatechin which is present in dark chocolate, improves exercise performance and noticeably changes muscle composition.

The research team have said that clinical trials will now need to be conducted in humans to see if these benefits also apply to them.

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