Whether you prefer to use chocolate in milk, in baking or like to grab a piece as an afternoon snack, it is so much more than just a dessert, do you know why? A recent study has found that eating cocoa-based foods or drinks can help in massive weight loss, despite consumption of a high-fat diet.
Is cocoa a good option to lose weight?
According to a study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, it was found that when a dietary supplement of cocoa powder was given to mice, they showed a reduced amount of fat in the liver and also exhibited reduced DNA damage.
Cocoa is one of the main ingredients present in chocolates, but the addition of excessive fats, sugar and additives makes chocolates a bit unhealthy. Cocoa is filled with the goodness of antioxidants, fiber and minerals like iron and phytochemicals.
According to Professor Joshua Lambert, at the Pennsylvania State University, these phytochemicals are chemical compounds found in plants that help in boosting the immune system and are observed to be effective in lowering the risk of cancer, dementia, arthritis, and even cardio-metabolic diseases like stroke, cardiac diseases and type-2 diabetes.
To understand the impact of the consumption of cocoa, the researchers gave 80 milligrams of cocoa powder per gram of food along with a high-fat diet to obese mice with liver disease.
Over a period of time, the researchers found changes in obese mice, where they saw a reduction in fatty liver disease, markers of oxidative stress, antioxidant response and cell damage in these mice.
As per the study, the mice on cocoa supplements gained weight at a 21 percent lower rate and had smaller spleen weights compared to high-fat-fed control mice who weren’t offered the cocoa.
Impact of cocoa consumption
The smaller spleen indicated lower inflammation. After the eight-week study, mice that fed the cocoa had 28 percent less fat in their livers compared to those that didn’t get any cocoa. It was further observed that the cocoa-consuming mice had reduced levels of oxidative stress so that they had 75 percent lower levels of DNA damage in the liver compared to high-fat diet mice.
Another study on the effects of cocoa found that some chemicals in cocoa powder inhibit enzymes that help the digestion of dietary fat, allowing fat to just pass through the body without being absorbed.
However, experts suggest that If you are looking forward to massive and faster weight loss, only consumption of cocoa won’t help, one needs to replace junk foods or sweet cravings with a cup of hot cocoa or any cocoa-based food to reap the benefits.
Related: High caffeine consumption linked to increased risk of glaucoma; Study
