Milk chocolate in the morning may have health benefits for post-menopausal women: Study

*Experts found that eating milk chocolate in the morning can help older women burn fat, reduce blood sugar levels, and regulate body weight

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in a study explored how eating chocolate may have health benefits for postmenopausal women.

Their findings revealed that eating milk chocolate in the morning can help older women burn fat, reduce blood sugar levels, and regulate body weight.

Frank A.J.L. Scheer, Ph.D, one of the researchers, said: “Our findings highlight that not only ‘what’ but also ‘when’ we eat can impact physiological mechanisms involved in the regulation of body weight.”

In exploring the benefits of milk chocolate in the study, the researchers had 19 postmenopausal women involved in the study.

Over the course of two weeks, the women either ate 100mg of chocolate within an hour of waking up or within an hour of going to sleep.

The experts also tracked the women’s health outcomes and compared them with postmenopausal women who didn’t alter their dietary habits.

Ultimately, eating chocolate at any time of the day did not lead to increased weight gain for any of the participants.

However, eating the chocolate at different times of the day yielded different health outcomes, though both groups experienced fewer cravings for sweet foods throughout the day and generally felt less hungry.

The researchers, on the one hand, discovered that nighttime chocolate made the participants more likely to engage in physical activity, and was associated with a more consistent sleep routine.

On the other hand, eating chocolate in the morning was linked with lower blood sugar levels, greater fat burning, and a smaller waist circumference.

Although all consumers have different dietary restrictions, these findings highlight that just a small amount of chocolate each day may benefit older women, according to report.

Researcher Marta Garaulet, Ph.D, also said: “Our volunteers did not gain weight despite increasing caloric intake.

“Our results show that chocolate reduced ad libitum energy intake, consistent with the observed reduction in hunger, appetite, and the desire for sweets shown in previous studies.”