Morning Chocolate Study

A recent study has found some surprising benefits to eating some chocolate in the morning. Chocolate tends to be associated with weight gain, especially in menopausal women who are prone to weight gain anyway. However this study (a small study, but hey, the topic is chocolate!) showed that having 100g of chocolate in the morning for 2 weeks showed no weight gain and a natural calorie reduction over the day (eating less because chocolate was satisfying). 

In this study, the women had a mean age of 52yo, and they were assigned 100g of MILK chocolate (not even the normal dark chocolate that is usually studied) in either the morning or evening. It was found they did not gain weight, even though the amount of chocolate was around 500 calories, and they only naturally reduced their overall calories by around 300 calories a day if they had morning chocolate, and 150 calories a day if they had evening chocolate.

“​​Results showed that 2 weeks of chocolate consumption did not lead to weight gain, regardless of the timing, but the timing did have differing effects on energy expenditure, hunger and appetite, sleep and gut microbiome composition. A high intake of chocolate during the morning hours resulted in reduced energy intake, a 25.6% increase in fat burning, a 1.7% decreased waist circumference and a 4.4% reduced fasting glucose, while evening/night chocolate altered next-morning resting and exercise metabolism.”

“Daily cortisol levels were lower when eating chocolate in the morning than in the evening/night. Lower cortisol levels are associated with a lower stress-related appetite (5) which might help to explain the better caloric compensation in this study. In addition, the decreased desire for sweets could be related to reduced cravings and improved diet satisfaction.” 

I hope this public service announcement reaches all the women who have felt guilty about eating chocolate! :) Of course, check in with your own body!

https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202002770RR