How snacking on dark chocolate treat can stop you over-eating

EVERYONE knows you shouldn’t snack on chocolate just before a meal. But if you really must, scientists have revealed that tucking into some varieties may be better for you than others. Research has found that women who ate dark chocolate rather than milk or white, were less likely to overeat later.

The study, reported in the journal Appetite, added: ‘Of course, these results do not intend to promote the consumption of chocolate for weight management, but rather show that for women that do consume chocolate, dark chocolate may be the chocolate of preference.’ Over three weeks, a Liverpool John Moores University study gave volunteers similar-sized samples of 80% cocoa plain, 35% cocoa milk and white chocolate.

Researchers then measured how much the volunteers – all women aged 50 to 65 – ate during a meal and asked how they felt. The study found all the volunteers claimed to be comfortably full despite eating significantly less after dark chocolate.

They consumed only 323 calories, compared with 404 calories for those who ate milk chocolate. And those who had white chocolate then ate 440 calories. Polyphenols, of which there are more in dark chocolate, slow the digestion of carbohydrates in the stomach and so reduce appetite.