Chocolate Linked with Lower Body Fat Levels

A new study has found that teens that eat more chocolate have lower body fat.

The golden rule of shedding those extra pounds is to eat less and exercise. So, how can chocolate- a sinfully addictive, sugar and fat filled food- keep a person's fat levels under-check?

A latest study by researchers at University of Granada challenges the idea that chocolate fattens. On the contrary, people who eat chocolate might have lower levels of fat. Researchers say that chocolates are rich in flavonoids, which keep the body in good shape.

Data for the current research came from 1458 teens aged between 12 and 17 years. The scientists found that the link between chocolate and low fat levels were independent of other factors such as diet, physical activity, gender and age.

Recent research has shown that adults consuming higher levels of chocolate have low risk of cardiometabolic diseases, according to Magdalena Cuenca-García, lead author of the study.

The study also shows that people must not only focus on keeping calories under check, but also look for nutritional value in food to maintain good health.

"The most recent epidemiologic research focuses on studying the relation between specific foods-both for their calorie content and for their components-and the risk factors for developing chronic illnesses, including overweight and obesity," researchers said in a news release.

A related study had earlier shown that people who eat dark chocolates have lower risk of heart attacks. Another research, published in the journal Neurology, had found a link between chocolate drink consumption and risk of dementia in older people.

But, don't take the study as an excuse to eat excessive amounts of chocolate.

"In moderate quantities, chocolate can be good for you, as our study has shown. But, undoubtedly, excessive consumption is prejudicial. As they say: you can have too much of a good thing," researchers added.

The study is published in the journal Nutrition.