The Agency's Posts

'Dark Knight Rises': Christopher Nolan opens up about Bane choice: There’s nothing sentimental or soft about Gotham City, and that seems to suit....
Read More>

'Dragon Tattoo's' Rooney Mara on fans expectations: David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" doesn't hit theaters until Dec.....
Read More>

Holiday music:All the stars and more..: The late, great Hunter S. Thompson once said, “When the going gets weird,the weird turn....
Read More>

SAG Awards: The Weinstein Co. leads the studio race: With "The Artist," "My Week With Marilyn" and "The Iron Lady,"....
Read More>

'Bridesmaids' cast learned to roll with the laughs: Bring up the year's surprise hit comedy "Bridesmaids" and most moviegoers think....
Read More>

The Hulk. The Avengers. Discuss..: The Hulk will appear in his third feature film next year whenOscar-nominatedactor Mark....
Read More>

Really? The Claim: Coffee Can Prevent Some Medications From Working: THE FACTS For many Americans, the thought of a morning without coffee is unbearable. More....
Read More>

Capturing a Tradition, Blow by Blow: THE big, bald man at the end of the bar extended a huge hand and introduced himself as the....
Read More>

Live review: Sting at the Wiltern: Stinghas long been a card-carrying member of rock’s aristocracy, so even turning up....
Read More>

Album review: Amy Winehouse's 'Lioness': “Why did God take the homie? I can’t stand it,” raps Nas on “Like....
Read More>

Grammy nominations concert on CBS tries to find its rhythm: 'Grammy Nominations Concert Live,' in its fourth year, airs Wednesday on CBS with Lady Gaga,....
Read More>

Photographer Lindsay McCrum documents 'Chicks With Guns': The title "Chicks with Guns" evokes visions of Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane or a....
Read More>
The Chocolate Diet?
Posted on: 04/03/12
Share/Save/Bookmark
 Frequent chocolate eaters tend to weigh less, a new study found.


Chocolate may not be as hazardous to your waistline as you think — at least in moderation.

A new study shows that people who eat chocolate frequently have lower body mass indexes than those who eat it less often. The researchers could not explain precisely why something usually loaded with sugar, fat and calories would have a beneficial effect on weight. But they suspect that antioxidants and other compounds in chocolate may deliver a metabolic boost that can offset its caloric downside.

Chocoholics may know that in recent years chocolate has been linked to a growing list of health benefits. Studies have found, for example, that regularly eating chocolate may lower blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, andimprove cholesterol and insulin regulation.

Although the new study is among the first to look at chocolate’s effect on weight, the findings “are compatible with other evidence showing favorable metabolic effects that are known to track with body mass index,” said Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb, lead author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Golomb’s study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine and financed by the National Institutes of Health, involved roughly 1,000 adults. The researchers looked at data on how often they exercised, the amount and type of calories they ate — including a breakdown of the types of dietary fat they consumed — and how their health and weight related to their chocolate intake. On average, the subjects were middle-aged, exercised about three times a week and ate chocolate about twice a week. There was no breakdown of the kinds of chocolate they ate, whether dark, milk or white.

The people who ate chocolate the most frequently, despite eating more calories and exercising no differently from those who ate the least chocolate, tended to have lower B.M.I.’s. There was a difference of roughly five to seven pounds between subjects who ate five servings of chocolate a week and those who ate none, Dr. Golomb said.

Dietary studies can be unreliable, since so many complicating factors can influence results, and it is difficult to pinpoint cause and effect. But the researchers adjusted their results for a number of variables, including age, gender, depression, vegetable consumption, and fat and calorie intake. “It didn’t matter which of those you added, the relationship remained very stably significant,” said Dr. Golomb.

Still, the findings should not be taken as a license to overindulge in chocolate eggs and bunnies this Easter. Dr. Golomb cautioned that it was the frequency of chocolate consumption — not the amount per serving — that had a beneficial effect on B.M.I. Indeed, there was a small trend toward higher B.M.I.’s among those consuming larger amounts of chocolate per sitting.

“It’s not the case that eating the largest amount of chocolate is beneficial; it’s that eating it more often was favorable,” Dr. Golomb said. “If you eat 10 pounds of chocolate a day, that’s not going to be a favorable thing.”

The idea for the study came to Dr. Golomb a few years ago at an American Heart Association conference, when Dr. Golomb was sitting next to a nutritionist who studies chocolate. “This lovely chocolate dessert cart came out, and she looked at it forlornly and said, ‘Too bad it has all these calories,’ ” she recalled.

Dr. Golomb was familiar with research on animals showing that polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in abundance in chocolate — particularly dark chocolate — increased muscular performance and lean muscle mass and could reduce weight without changes in calorie consumption or exercise levels. That, along with the research on humans showing all the other benefits that tend to go along with improved fitness, including lower blood pressure and better regulation of insulin, led Dr. Golomb to suspect that the calories in chocolate would be offset by improvements in metabolism. So the net result of eating chocolate on body weight, she thought, would be a neutral one.

“We found something slightly more favorable than that,” she said.

Dr. Golomb said she had not yet spoken to the nutritionist who inspired the study to tell her about the findings. “I should probably give her a call,” she said.



COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal