With an estimated 30 million people living with diabetes in the United States alone, researchers are working busily to finds ways to alleviate the burden of the disease.
Seriously. Berries, turmeric, exercise, sleep, and even platypus venom has all been researched as a means to treat or prevent the onset of diabetes.
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And now?
Researchers are looking to chocolate as a possible way to delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
A Cacao Compound May Delay The Onset of Diabetes
It is worth noting that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable through a healthy diet and exercise. Moderate exercise several times a week and a natural whole foods diet can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes, in most cases.
Though this is an absolutely free approach with high success rates, millions of people continue to develop type 2 diabetes.
As a result, researchers are frantically searching for alternative ways to reduce those numbers. One such alternative method is with the use of a certain cacao compound, which may help protect the cells that produce insulin.
Cacao Compound May Protect Beta Cells
In a recent study, researchers noticed that rats fed a high-fat diet and a cacao compound had lower levels of obesity. They also demonstrated improved abilities to manage higher glucose levels.
How does this work?
The flavanols in the cacao compound provided a protective factor to beta cells in the pancreas. Beta cells play an important role in insulin production. They did this by preventing oxidative stress, which can render cells useless so that the beta cells can continue to work in a healthy manner.
Thus, insulin production is not reduced and glucose metabolism remains strong.
Don’t go load up on chocolate bars in the name of diabetes prevention, though. Raw cacao, which contains the helpful flavanols, is the best way to support your beta cells via chocolate. Even then, researchers are working hard to find the market equivalent to the cacao compound they used during the study.
In the meantime, add a scoop of raw cacao powder to your oatmeal. You will get a boost of vitamins, minerals, and free radical fighting flavanols.
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Medical News Today. URL Link. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
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