Eat chocolate to stay slim

EATING chocolate could help you stay slim, a revolutionary Spanish study has found.

Researchers from the University of Granada analyzed records on 1,458 adolescents from nine European countries who were aged from 12 to 17 and who had completed computer-based questionnaires asking them to recall what they had eaten in the previous 24 hours on two non-consecutive days.

The records also contained information from which they could assess participants’ BMI waist circumference, body fat measures and activity levels.

Results showed that higher chocolate intake among the teenagers was linked with lower levels of total fat and fat around the middle, regardless of other factors (including exercise).

The researchers had already conducted similar tests on adults, which drew the same conclusion.

While the study didn’t look into the reasons for this, it is thought the flavanoids chocolate contains can help lower the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.