Chocolate and Staving off Type 2 Diabetes.

Chocolate and Staving off Type 2 Diabetes.

It’s the news that we have all been waiting for. The news that Chocolate and red wine can help stave off diabetes with their high levels of antioxidants that can help regulate blood glucose levels.  On the 20^th January the Daily Mail ran a piece that claimed that the High content of flavonoids in chocolate and wine and other foods may help to regulate blood glucose levels and, surprisingly perhaps, can protect us against a whole range of other health issues including obesity! The article, written by Jenny Hope for the Daily Mail says that it is now official that red wine, chocolate and strawberries can be enjoyed without beating ourselves up, because they might actually protect us from getting type 2 diabetes. It works because the flavonoids found in these foods are antioxidant compounds that are also found in plants, as well as tea, red wine and chocolate, which can protect against a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, some cancers and dementia. The study that was carried out found the main protective effect came from higher intakes of anthocyanins, which are present in strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and blueberries.  The research was carried out at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and King's College London and results reveal that high intakes are linked with lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation. They also lowered inflammation which, when chronic, can lead to disease, says the study, published on the 20^th of January in the Journal of Nutrition. Prof Aedin Cassidy from UEA's Norwich Medical School, who led the research, said 'We focused on flavones, which are found in herbs and vegetables such as parsley, thyme, and celery, and anthocyanins, found in berries, red grapes, wine and other red or blue-coloured fruits and vegetables. ‘Laboratory studies have shown these types of foods might modulate blood glucose regulation - affecting the risk of type 2 diabetes. Researchers studied almost 2,000 healthy women volunteers from TwinsUK who had completed a food questionnaire designed to estimate total dietary flavonoid intake as well as intakes from six flavonoid subclasses. Prof Cassidy said 'We found that those who consumed plenty of anthocyanins and flavones had lower insulin resistance. ‘High insulin resistance is associated with type 2 diabetes, so what we are seeing is that people who eat foods rich in these two compounds - such as berries, herbs, red grapes, wine- are less likely to develop the disease. What is not known yet is exactly how much of these compounds are necessary to potentially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.  So before you rush off and stock up on chocolate bars, there is a cautionary note, want there always bound to be?   For Red wine and chocolate, advice is to limit your consumption of these and this advice would be very unlikely to change even if further research did demonstrate that flavonoids reduce type 2 diabetes risk.  This is because the calories in the chocolate and the alcohol in the wine would dramatically outweigh any health benefit from the flavonoids. So I suppose the old saying ‘a little of what you fancy does you good’ is the watchword here!

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Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio