Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Sign me up!



Here's one study I wouldn't mind participating in.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia in the U. K. are recruiting women to eat a bar of chocolate a day for a year. Mounds of Yorkie Bars (a particular favourite of HP but sadly unavailable in Australia) comes to mind. Sounds like heaven, no?

The aim of the study is to examine whether eating chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Unfortunately, I'm not eligible. Participants must be post-menopausal and have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

The second sting, the chocolate provided is not your standard Dairy Milk/Hersheys/Lindt/ insert your own particular favourite here. The chocolate has been loaded with extra flavonoids by the addition of soy. Flavonoids are a compound found in cocoa, which is suspected to be beneficial to the heart.

An important study as the researchers state that deaths due to heart disease among women increase rapidly after the menopause and having type 2 diabetes increases this risk by a further three-and-a-half times.

Don't take this as a carte-blanche to eat chocolate though. The researchers point out chocolate is still high in sugar and fat.

Why do scientists have to be such spoilsports?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I first heard of this study, I wanted to participate too! However, I live in the wrong country and don't fit the criteria. Oh well :)

I wouldn't mind being a participant if the researchers decided to expand the study!

Donna

Dreaming again said...

I am peri-menapausal and have -it's almost chocolate ..and I live in America ..which starts with an A ... like Austrailia ...I *almost* fit all around!!

*grin*

Dreaming again said...

hey! pre diabetes disappeared ...

Dreaming again said...

it was supposed to read:

I am peri-menapausal and have pre - diabetes it's almost chocolate ..and I live in America ..which starts with an A ... like Austrailia ...I *almost* fit all around!!

*grin*

HP said...

Hi Donna,
I'd sign up too but it would have to be good-tasting chocolate!

Hi Dreaming Again,
The curse of blogger. But you'd have to relocate...America might start with an 'A' like Australia but the study is in the UK. Maybe I should go home!

Dreaming again said...

Well ...then I'm not even close ... *grin*

shrink on the couch said...

Doctors could say eating chocolate is the equivalent of drinking radiator coolant and I'd still be stuffing my face with it. sigh.

When I was Pg with my son, I ate a big bar of chocolate twice a week, eating at least a few squares daily. sometimes I ate the whole thing in one sitting. gained 60lbs during that pregnancy!! My son turned out to be one smart little whip. Wonder if any research supports chocolate = IQ jump?

Awake In Rochester said...

I would like to volunteer for this study, as long as they pay for the diet group I will have to join when it's over. ;o)

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