Worried about blood sugar even on Valentine's Day...What about dark chocolate?
Feb 14, 2025
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However, these days, when there are especially many people who are managing their blood sugar, their worries have grown when exchanging chocolate.
It is a chocolate that is burdensome in terms of sugar and calories, but dark chocolate, which relieves a little of the burden by being bitter, is receiving considerable attention.
The higher the cacao content, the stronger the bitter taste of chocolate, and in general, dark chocolate has more than 70% cacao content.
Dark chocolate is rich in flavanol, a type of plant-based antioxidant flavonoid. Flavanol is known to turn obesity-causing 'white fat' into 'brown fat' that prevents obesity by burning energy by maintaining body temperature. It helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by controlling blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. It contributes to anti-aging and cancer prevention by removing active oxygen, and if consumed after exercise, it is also good for muscle performance and muscle mass increase.
In addition, these flavonoid components increase insulin sensitivity and help stabilize blood sugar levels. According to a recent Harvard University study, eating dark chocolate five times a week (about 142 grams) lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 21%.
In addition, theobromine component in dark chocolate is known to relieve stress and stimulate the secretion of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone, to prevent overeating and soothe hunger.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
