Chocolate to diet for...

IF YOU’VE eaten too much chocolate this Christmas, help is on the way.

Reading University scientists say they have created a milk chocolate bar that tastes as good as the real thing but has

per cent less sugar. Rather than adding artificial sweeteners, SureChoc contains clusters of real sugar that stay on the tongue – and tickle the taste buds – for longer.

Project leader Professor Lisa Methven said: ‘We know that both children and adults love their chocolate but is difficult to remove from the diet because it is so desirable.

‘So it seemed like to good idea to be able to have that treat but without a really high intake of sugar.’

When volunteers were asked how much they liked low-sugar chocolate, they gave it a score of 5.1 out of seven – almost as high as the 5.7 for the real thing. SureChoc is expected to hit UK shelves in 2021.

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘Any chocolate which has a lower sugar content has to be welcomed.’