Substituting a cup of chocolate during the day for other snacks could help obese people lose weight, even on a high-fat diet, a new study claims. In laboratory experiments, US researchers gave obese mice with liver disease a dietary supplement of cocoa powder for a period of eight weeks. Despite the fact that the mice ate a high-fat diet, the researchers found that the supplement reduced DNA damage and the amount of fat in the liver.
Cocoa could decrease fat in the liver
For the study, obese mice with liver disease were treated with a high-fat diet supplemented with 80 milligrams (mg) of cocoa powder per gram of food, roughly equivalent to a pinch per quarter teaspoon.
The researchers examined changes in fatty liver disease, markers of oxidative stress, antioxidant response, and cell damage in high-fat-fed obese mice treated with the supplement.
Mice treated with cocoa gained weight at a 21 percent lower rate and had a smaller spleen weight, indicating less inflammation, than high-fat-fed control mice that did not receive the cocoa supplement. At the end of the eight-week study period, the cocoa-fed mice had a 28 percent less fat in the liver than control mice.
The cocoa-treated mice also had levels a 56 percent lower oxidative stress and 75 percent lower levels of DNA damage in the liver compared to high-fat-fed control rodents.
Although there is more to learn about the health benefits of cocoa, researchers believe that in some way can prevent the digestion of fats and carbohydrates of the diet, thus avoiding weight gain.
Cocoa powder, a popular food ingredient most commonly used in the production of chocolate, is also rich in fibre, iron and 'phytochemicals'. The phytochemicals are powerful chemical compounds contained in plants that are known to support the immune system and They reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer, dementia, arthritis, heart disease, and stroke.
«Studies have suggested that chocolate consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cardio-metabolic diseases, such as stroke, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.said study author Professor Joshua Lambert. “Therefore, it made sense to investigate whether the consumption of chocolate had an effect on non-alcohol related fatty liver disease, which is commonly associated with human obesity«.
Chocolate is generally considered a treat due to its high sugar and fat content, which is particularly high in the popular milk chocolates. But plain, dark chocolates, as well as low-sugar drinking chocolates, tend to contain less sugar and fat and more cocoa mass.
The changes were noticed with 5 cups of hot chocolate
The study used a commercially available cocoa product at a physiologically achievable dose, meaning humans could double its equivalent. For humans, it equates to about 10 tablespoons of cocoa powder per day or about five cups of hot chocolate a day.
Understandably, Professor Lambert does not recommend that obese people, or anyone else, add five cups of hot chocolate to their daily routine and change nothing else in their diet. But he does advise that it be considered substitute cocoa for other foods as often as possible, particularly high-calorie snacks such as chips, sweets and cakes.
«This exchange is potentially beneficial, especially in combination with an overall healthy diet and increased physical activity.", He said. «If you go to the gym and work out, and your reward is that you go home and have a cup of cocoa, that may be something to help you get off the couch and move.«.
In addition, quality cocoa was used in this study, not the ultra-processed products of well-known brands, in which the first ingredient is sugar.