Chocolate makes you slim

Those who habitually eat chocolate tends to be thinner: the good news is the University of San Diego, California, and is based on research that has analyzed the eating habits of nearly one thousand U.S.: who followed the diet, how many calories they ate and Their body mass index.

According to the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine , those who eat chocolate several times a week on average thinner than those who eat it rarely. Chocolate is a food very caloric but contains ingredients that may help you lose weight, according to the authors and the correlation remains valid even if other factors are included in the overall evaluation, as the amount of exercise. The important thing also is not the amount of chocolate ingested but the regularity of consumption.

According to the scientist who led the study , Dr. Beatrice Golomb, quoted by the BBC website, there is a chance in a hundred that these results depend on chance. For  Dr. Golomb, “the results suggest that the impact on the final weight is determined not only by quantity but the type of calories consumed.” Already several other studies suggest that chocolate has beneficial effects on the heart, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, especially the dark chocolate contains antioxidants which may serve to inhibit the effect of free radicals, chemicals that can damage cells uncertain .

According to the study of catechins (a group of antioxidants belonging to the category of flavonoids) may improve muscle mass and reduce weight. This would be verified by experiments on animals: rats fed for 15 days with epicatechin (present in dark chocolate) improve muscle tone. For researchers in San Diego must now step up to a phase of clinical trials on humans to confirm all data collected.

In the absence of evidence , not thrown on the chocolate: if you want to change its diet, the experts continue to recommend … First fruits and vegetables.