A new animal study suggests that cocoa powder antioxidants may help slow diabetes progression. In the study, researchers found that when rats ate a high-fat diet that included a cocoa flavanol called catechin, their bodies were better able to control their blood sugar levels. It’s believed that the beta cells which produce insulin are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress and the consumption of catechin helps to protect such cells. Study co-author Dr. Andrew Neilson writes, “These results will help us get closer to using these compounds more effectively in foods or supplements to maintain normal blood glucose control and potentially even delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.”
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, August 2017