Forget those images of bonbon-eating overweight people: A new study finds that regular chocolate eaters may actually be thinner than those who dont indulge. Beatrice A. Golomb, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of California-San Diego compared body mass index (BMI) in 972 adults with chocolate consumption as determined by a questionnaire. Participants, average age 57, were 68% male, with an average BMI of 28; they reported exercising 3.6 times a week.
Overall, participants ate chocolate an average of twice a week. Those who consumed chocolate more frequently averaged lower BMIs than those who ate chocolate less often-even though the chocolate lovers consumed more calories and exercised no differently. No matter what variable the researchers looked at, Dr. Golomb said, the relationship between chocolate eating and lower BMI remained very stably significant.
She cautioned, however, that it was the frequency of chocolate consumption-not the amount of chocolate-that was linked to slimmer BMIs. Those who gobbled a large amount of chocolate at a time actually had a slight tendency toward higher BMIs.
This was a general adult sample, reflecting a wide range of BMI, not all overweight, Dr. Golomb adds. The average BMI in the sample matches that of the US general adult population for the mid-year of the study, and the range of BMI was 17 to 50.
Though the research cant prove a cause-and-effect relationship, scientists noted that certain kinds of chocolate-dark chocolate higher in antioxidant flavonoid compounds called flavanols-have been linked to improvements in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels. Calling their findings intriguing, the researchers added, A randomized trial of chocolate for metabolic benefits in humans may be merited.
Before you break out the bonbons, however, Jeffrey B. Blumberg, PhD, director of Tufts HNRCA Antioxidants Research Laboratory and an expert on the effects of chocolate, advises a healthy serving of skepticism. Despite the observed association, it is worth noting that the lower BMI was not explained by overall caloric intake or activity. In fact, frequent chocolate consumption was actually associated with greater caloric intake, he notes.
Perhaps more important, this finding is not consistent with any other study. A 2006 meta-analysis of 24 randomized clinical trials with chocolate/cocoa, for example, found no effect of cocoa flavonoids on BMI. Says Blumberg, This suggests the results of Golomb et al. are likely a spurious correlation.
He adds, This study did not determine whether there was a correlation between types of chocolate (e.g., milk chocolate with much less flavanols than dark chocolate or white chocolate with none at all). There also appears to be no adjustment for socioeconomic status, which is correlated with BMI.
But chocoholics should not lose hope, Blumberg says, even if their favorite indulgence might not keep them skinny. Theres plenty of other research showing health benefits from dark chocolate and cocoa. The data are remarkably consistent on effects that protect the cardiovascular system, he says, especially lowering blood pressure, improving vascular reactivity (blood flow), and increasing insulin sensitivity. And preliminary data is now suggesting potential benefits of cocoa for cognitive function, migraine prevention and colon cancer.
TO LEARN MORE: Archives of Internal Medicine, March 26, 2012.