Next time you reach for that piece of chocolate, don't beat yourself up too much as you could be doing your health a favour.
Researchers have said eating chocolate every day could decrease the danger of developing bowel cancer.
Dr Maria Arribas, of the Science and Technology Institute of Food and Nutrition in Spain, who headed the research, said: "Foods like cocoa, which is rich in polyphenols, seems to play an important role in protecting against disease."
Tests carried out on rats showed the group fed a diet which contained 12% cocoa for eight weeks grew fewer pre-cancerous lesions when they were exposed to the carcinogen azoxymethane.
However Sarah Williams, a spokesperson from Cancer Research UK, told the Daily Mail that eating large amounts of chocolate could also be harmful to health.
She said: "This study involved rats in the lab who were fed very large quantities of cocoa over a number of weeks, so it's impossible to conclude that that eating chocolate or drinking cocoa protects people against bowel cancer."
"But we do know that chocolate is high in fat and calories, so eating too much of it could lead you to put on weight."
"And being obese has been shown to increase the risk of bowel cancer, so eating lots of chocolate is unlikely to be a good way to cut the risk."
In the post-Christmas winter period, it's easy to feel sluggish, cranky and unmotivated - after all, they're called the 'winter blues' for a reason, and we still have a couple more months to go. Staying active and eating certain foods can actually help to improve your mood - but if you want to get happy, don't even think about reaching for that chocolate bar for a quick pick-me-up.
While lots of us try to improve a bad mood by eating, some foods will make us feel worse. According to Atkins nutritionist, Linda O'Byrne, the comfort foods to avoid include "sweets, white bread and cakes, which will only cause spikes and crashes in blood sugar, making you feel even more lethargic, sluggish and fed up."
Looking to improve your mood with food? Check out O'Byrne's recommendations for five top mood-boosting foods below, which are high in 'good' fats, protein and slow-burning complex carbs.
Next time you reach for that piece of chocolate, don't beat yourself up too much as you could be doing your health a favour.
ReplyDeleteResearchers have said eating chocolate every day could decrease the danger of developing bowel cancer.
Dr Maria Arribas, of the Science and Technology Institute of Food and Nutrition in Spain, who headed the research, said: "Foods like cocoa, which is rich in polyphenols, seems to play an important role in protecting against disease."
Tests carried out on rats showed the group fed a diet which contained 12% cocoa for eight weeks grew fewer pre-cancerous lesions when they were exposed to the carcinogen azoxymethane.
However Sarah Williams, a spokesperson from Cancer Research UK, told the Daily Mail that eating large amounts of chocolate could also be harmful to health.
She said: "This study involved rats in the lab who were fed very large quantities of cocoa over a number of weeks, so it's impossible to conclude that that eating chocolate or drinking cocoa protects people against bowel cancer."
"But we do know that chocolate is high in fat and calories, so eating too much of it could lead you to put on weight."
"And being obese has been shown to increase the risk of bowel cancer, so eating lots of chocolate is unlikely to be a good way to cut the risk."
In the post-Christmas winter period, it's easy to feel sluggish, cranky and unmotivated - after all, they're called the 'winter blues' for a reason, and we still have a couple more months to go. Staying active and eating certain foods can actually help to improve your mood - but if you want to get happy, don't even think about reaching for that chocolate bar for a quick pick-me-up.
ReplyDeleteWhile lots of us try to improve a bad mood by eating, some foods will make us feel worse. According to Atkins nutritionist, Linda O'Byrne, the comfort foods to avoid include "sweets, white bread and cakes, which will only cause spikes and crashes in blood sugar, making you feel even more lethargic, sluggish and fed up."
Looking to improve your mood with food? Check out O'Byrne's recommendations for five top mood-boosting foods below, which are high in 'good' fats, protein and slow-burning complex carbs.