Eating dark chocolate can help you protect against type 2 diabetes, a new study has found. According to scientists from Harvard University in Boston, US, those who consumed three squares of a large bar five times every week were at least 21 per cent less likely to develop the debilitating condition.

However, those who regularly ate milk chocolate—loaded with fats and sugar—gained weight, which put them at a high risk of elevated blood sugar levels.

According to experts, type 2 diabetes is often triggered by a diet heavy with junk food and sugar. Statistics say more than 462 million people across the world have this condition, which eventually leads to other health issues as well.

Harvard scientists say high concentrations of antioxidants from cocoa beans in dark chocolate help your body absorb sugar from the blood, and “offset the effects of saturated fat and sugar on weight gain and diabetes.”.

Neither milk nor white chocolate contains enough cocoa to do the same. For the study, the researchers investigated the food and health records of more than 190,000 people over a period of 30 years.

Doctors say they suggest people take a balanced diet, do physical activity, and try for ­sustained weight loss over dark chocolate as a way to reduce the risk of developing Type 2.

According to doctors, progressing from prediabetes to diabetes is not inevitable and even though you cannot change certain factors like your genes or age, several lifestyle and dietary modifications may reduce your risk. A few ways are:

Doctors say it is important to consider the quantity and quality of your carb intake as your body breaks down carbs into small sugar molecules, which are absorbed into your bloodstream. The resulting rise in blood sugar stimulates your pancreas to produce insulin, which helps sugar move from your bloodstream into your cells.

Make sure you take water as your primary beverage without any added preservatives or sugars. Other drinks like soda and sweetened fruit juice have been linked to an increased risk of both type 2 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults.

Obesity and weight gain are big factors in increasing your risk of type 2 diabetes. According to experts, visceral fat—excess weight in your belly area—is associated with insulin resistance, inflammation, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

Smoking causes and contributes to many serious health conditions, including heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung and intestinal cancers.

However, studies also say it is linked to type 2 diabetes, as smoking may increase insulin resistance and inhibit insulin secretion.

It is important to eat lots of fibre, beneficial for gut health and weight management. It also prevents diabetes.

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