A recent study suggests that consuming a sugary chocolate snack for breakfast can actually have unexpected benefits by helping the body burn fat. Researchers in Boston, Massachusetts, provided 19 postmenopausal women with 100 grams of milk chocolate within one hour after waking and one hour before bedtime. This is roughly equivalent to two standard pieces of Mars bars (58 grams), although the researchers used standard milk chocolate containing 18.1 grams of cocoa.
Surprisingly, the team found that eating milk chocolate in the morning or at night did not lead to weight gain, likely because it acted as an appetite suppressant. In fact, consuming milk chocolate during morning hours was shown to aid in fat burning and reduce blood sugar levels, possibly due to beneficial chemicals called flavanols naturally found in cocoa that enhance fat oxidation.
However, the study was limited to postmenopausal women, which calls for further research involving both men and younger women to confirm these findings, according to the researchers. Other experts note that, unfortunately for chocolate lovers, its high fat and sugar content means it should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
The study was conducted by experts at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Murcia in Spain. The study was particularly surprising since it used milk chocolate, which is known to contribute to weight gain due to its high levels of fat, sugar, and calories.
Regular chocolate consumption has been associated with long-term weight gain, especially among postmenopausal women who may be prone to weight gain. Experiments revealed that eating chocolate in the morning or evening could influence hunger and appetite. Interestingly, sleep records indicated that consuming chocolate at night led to increased regularity in sleep periods with less variability in sleep onset compared to eating chocolate in the morning, according to the British Daily Mail.
