People who have been staving off their appetite for chocolate and red wine may find relief in reports that claim eating chocolates and drinking red wine can reduce their risks for diabetes.
The reports were supposedly prompted by the results of a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Jan. 19 that found people whose diet are rich in the flavonoids flavones and anthocyanins are able to regulate their blood sugar level better and have lower insulin resistance which could reduce their risks for Type 2 diabetes. These groups of flavonoids are incidentally found in wine and chocolate as well as in other fruits and vegetables.
"This is an exciting finding that shows that some components of foods that we consider unhealthy like chocolate or wine may contain some beneficial substances," study co-author Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College in London, said in a press release.
U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS), however, was quick to point out that people should not go about drinking more red wine and eating more chocolate than usual just yet because the study did not prove that flavonoid can reduce the risks of developing diabetes.
"The study was a cross sectional design meaning it cannot prove flavonoids reduce the risk of developing diabetes," reads the post on the NHS website. "It could be the case that women with a flavonoid rich-diet tended adopt healthier lifestyle choices, such as exercising regularly, and it was this that was contributing to the lower insulin resistance. Only a well-conducted, double-blinded randomised control trial could prove direct cause and effect."
The NHS also stressed out that the study did not give a go signal for people to consume more than the recommended amount of red wine and chocolate. It also mentioned the risks of consuming excessive amounts of sugar and alcohol. "This study does not give the green light to drink red wine above the recommended levels or to consume chocolate often - any potential benefits of diabetes prevention are likely to be overshadowed by the already known risks of excessive sugar, fat and alcohol consumption, including liver disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer," it said.
For now, the only recommendation NHS gives to people who want to reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight, which, unfortunately, would be difficult for those who include too much wine and chocolate in their diet.
