Dark Chocolate and Diabetes Connection? Cocoa Flavonoids
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Not yet a lover of dark chocolate and diabetes risk factors a concern? Might be time to get serious about acquiring a taste for it.
Why? Antioxidants. Dark chocolate, rich in cocoa flavonoids, shows promise in the battle against diabetes.
How? Helps counteract insulin resistance, a serious risk factor.
Is bittersweet chocolate a prescription to guard against diabetes? Not just yet, more research is needed.
But watch out apple, soon some cocoa a day may keep the doctor away!
Insulin Resistance
What is insulin resistance?
A malady that prevents your cells from using insulin effectively to turn blood sugar into energy. So it accumulates in your bloodstream.
This serious condition multiplies your chance of developing diabetes and heart problems. It can also exist in people with type 1 diabetes.
What leads to insulin resistance? It's caused by...
- genes-family history plays a part
- being overweight especially around the waist
- lack of exercise
The abnormally high blood sugar level can develop into a condition called pre-diabetes.
Can Insulin Resistance be Reversed?
Why should you care that dark chocolate combats insulin resistance?
Because dark chocolate's cocoa flavonoids can help improve insulin function, better controlling blood sugar.
No build up means no pre-diabetes.
It's important to treat pre-diabetes. Left unchecked most people eventually develop type 2 diabetes.
That can lead to serious complications like heart disease, kidney problems, circulation problems, etc.
A recent study suggests these flavonoids may help control blood sugar in type 1 diabetics.
Fortunately, you can fight, possibly reverse, insulin resistance and pre-diabetes by...
- maintaining a healthy weight
- eating a proper diet
- exercising
- not smoking
Another Potential Benefit for Diabetics
Those fabulous flavonoids also help to keep blood vessels healthy and improve blood flow.
That's very important for diabetics because they can develop serious circulation problems.
Unfortunately, loss of extremities can occur. Maybe a dose of dark can help to prevent that.
More Good Dark Chocolate and Diabetes News
Good news from Britain. Research done at the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School demonstrated another health benefit of dark chocolate.
People with Type 2 diabetes, who ate dark chocolate, decreased their risk of having a heart attack.
How did bittersweet benefit them? It helped to raise their good cholesterol level.
Prevention Magazine named dark chocolate a runner up on it's list of Best Foods to Fight Diabetes.
Why did bittersweet chocolate earn a place on the list? Due to its ability to help improve good cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure!
Sugar Free Chocolate
Dealing with diabetes and craving dark chocolate? Try sugar free chocolate chips for baking.
Or maybe some sugar free dark chocolate for snacking. Two great ways to get the benefits of dark chocolate without the unwanted sugar.
Or try this sugar-free hot chocolate recipe.
Or maybe some cocoa bean extract , capsules filled with cocoa powder. Get the flavonoids without all the fat and sugar.
Strangely enough, dark chocolate and diabetes are linked. Who could have guessed that bittersweet chocolate would help fight this rapidly growing health problem? This benefit of dark chocolate could prove to be very important to everyone. Diabetes costs us all.
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