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Chocolate for weight loss! |
| Posted on Jun 07 2009 at 3:35 PM |
| News / Blog >> Diet |
The investigators used a cross over design to compare the effects of dark and milk chocolate on appetite and subsequent caloric intake, in 16 healthy male volunteers. The subjects fasted for 12 hours, before consuming 100g of either dark or milk chocolate, both of equal calorific content. That's a slab of chocolate about the size of your hand. Two and a half hours after eating the chocolate, participants were offered pizza and instructed to eat until they felt comfortably satiated. Following the meal, the individuals' calorie intake was calculated. Calorie intake at the subsequent pizza meal was found to be significantly lower (by 15%) when the subjects had eaten dark chocolate beforehand. The participants also stated that the plain chocolate made them feel less like eating sweet, salty or fatty foods. The results suggest that as well as providing healthier fatty acids and antioxidants, eating dark chocolate may help people avoid high calorie foods and therefore assist in weight loss. The researchers neglected to say how the participants felt after their chocolate and pizza binge. Its nice to have an excuse to enjoy a bit of chocolate after dinner though; wonder if they need volunteers for their next study?
(Dark chocolate is More Filling Than Milk Chocolate And Lessens Cravings. University of Copenhagen www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210091039.htm).
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