Does chocolate make you fat? There seems to be no doubt about it. As a symbol of high sugar, fat, and calories, chocolate alone sounds like enough to make a dieter run away. But now researchers at Harvard University have found that eating chocolate at the right time every day may help burn fat and lower blood sugar, rather than cause weight gain.
Previous studies have found a dosedependent relationship between chocolate eating habits and long-term weight gain, especially in postmenopausal women, who are more likely to gain weight. Moreover, eating high energy and high sugar foods such as chocolate at "inappropriate" times may affect the body's circadian system and metabolic activity, leading to an increased risk of obesity.
To find out the effects of chocolate consumption at different times, researchers conducted a randomized controlled crossover trial with 19 postmenopausal women. In the free-eating condition, subjects in the morning (MC) and evening (EC) groups consumed 100g of milk chocolate (approximately 542 calories, or 33% of daily energy intake) within one hour of waking up in the morning or one hour before bedtime at night; The other group did not eat chocolate.
After two weeks, the women in the morning and evening groups had no significant weight gain, even though the chocolate had added calories. And women's waistlines shrank when they ate chocolate in the morning.
This was because chocolate intake reduced hunger and sweet tooth cravings (P <. 005) and reduced free energy intake of ~ 300 kcal/day during MC and ~ 150 kcal/day during EC (P =. 01), but did not fully compensate for the additional energy contribution of chocolate (542 kcal/day).
Principal component analysis showed that chocolate consumption at two time points resulted in different microbiome distribution and function (P <. 05). Wrist temperature heat maps and sleep records showed that ec-induced sleep episodes were more regular than MCS and had lower variability in sleep episode days (60 minutes vs. 78 minutes; P =. 028).
That is, eating chocolate in the morning or at night can have different effects on hunger, appetite, substrate oxidation, fasting blood glucose, microbiome composition and function, sleep and temperature rhythms. In addition, chocolate also contains dietary fiber, which can prevent and relieve constipation, promote the body to discharge old metabolites, prevent wrinkles and spots, and create a good environment for skin beauty.
So, eating chocolate at the right time, not only won't fat, but may be thin. But "quantity leads to quality," and if you eat too much chocolate, the results may not be the same.
Post time: 26-08-21