“Finally, some real important heath news. I have been waiting for years for such a positive study,”
joked Dr. Ronald Klatz, President of the A4M. “Chocolate lovers from around the world can rejoice.”
A study published in Diabetologia suggests that wine and dark chocolate may actually be good for you
as they are sources of antioxidants that can help lower the risk of type-2 diabetes. Antioxidantsare
known to help prevent cell damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants are known to help to lower
cancer rates, they may also decrease the risk of strokes, slow down the process of aging, and prevent
heart disease. New findings from ongoing research suggests people should eat five servings
daily of vegetables and fruit, as the benefits are greater when we eat nutrition that is plant-based.
Guy Fagherazzi has co-authored this research at the Research in Epidemiology and Population Health.
This study suggests that the risk of type-2 diabetes in women may be decreased up to 27% by
consuming a half glass up to one full glass of red wine every day. This study involved 64,000 women
in the 40-65 age grouping over a 15 year period.
The research provides a comprehensive standpoint on the relationship between type-2 diabetes and food. The participants were given questionnaires to fill out that were then used to score their antioxidant consumption. The results of this study showed that
women who consumed more dark chocolate and red wine had 27% decreased risk of diabetes, regardless of whether or not they had a history of the disease.
Researchers from around the world are agreeing with the findings of Fagherazzis study saying that the
findings add more evidence to the links between antioxidants and the lowered risks of chronic disease.
Fagherazzi points out that the benefits of dark chocolate and red wine can only be had be ingesting
large amounts of them, approximately the equivalent of several bottles of red wine per day.
Moderation, care, and caution must be used when consuming any kind of foods because excess calories
can also harm the body. It is advised to only consume a small amount of these items each day by
clinical advisers, just enough to gain the health benefits without putting yourself at risk.
Resveratrol is found in red wine, which helps with conception and known to slow down the progress of
dementia. Dark chocolate is full of flavonoids that have the same effects as antioxidants. Antioxidants
can be found in numerous foods other than dark chocolate and red wine. They can be found by looking
for items that have a high oxygen radical absorbance capacity score (ORAC), that measures the
antioxidant content, examples of these are broccoli, walnuts, kidney beans, tomatoes, barely, and
raisins, additionally coffee and tea contain fair amounts as well.
One should always make sure they consume a healthy diet containing as much organic foods as
possible on a daily basis, avoiding processed, fried, and fast foods. Not doing so and just mainly taking
vitamins, minerals, and supplements may not be enough to help you age well and be disease free. In
essence, you are what you eat.
