# No cardio needed!!!



## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

*Chocolate 'may help keep people slim'*

People who eat chocolate regularly tend to be thinner, new research suggests.

The findings come from a study of nearly 1,000 US people that looked at diet, calorie intake and body mass index (BMI) - a measure of obesity. It found those who ate chocolate a few times a week were, on average, slimmer than those who ate it occasionally. Even though chocolate is loaded with calories, it contains ingredients that may favour weight loss rather than fat synthesis, scientists believe. Despite boosting calorie intake, regular chocolate consumption was related to lower BMI in the study, which is published in Archives of Internal Medicine. The link remained even when other factors, like how much exercise individuals did, were taken into account. And it appears it is how often you eat chocolate that is important, rather than how much of it you eat. The study found no link with quantity consumed.

According to the researchers, there is only one chance in a hundred that their findings could be explained by chance alone. Lead author Dr Beatrice Golomb, from the University of California at San Diego, said: "Our findings appear to add to a body of information suggesting that the composition of calories, not just the number of them, matters for determining their ultimate impact on weight." This is not the first time scientists have suggested that chocolate may be healthy for us.

Other studies have claimed chocolate may be good for the heart. Consumption of certain types of chocolate has been linked to some favourable changes in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol level. And chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, does contain antioxidants which can help to mop up harmful free radicals - unstable chemicals that can damage our cells. Dr Golomb and her team believe that antioxidant compounds, called catechins, can improve lean muscle mass and reduce weight - at least studies in rodents would suggest this might be so. Mice fed for 15 days with epicatechin (present in dark chocolate) had improved exercise performance and observable changes to their muscle composition. They say clinical trials are now needed in humans to see if this is the case.

But before you reach for a chocolate bar, there are still lots of unanswered questions. And in the absence of conclusive evidence, experts advise caution. While there's no harm in allowing yourself a treat like chocolate now and again, eating too much might be harmful because it often contains a lot of sugar and fat too. And if you are looking to change your diet, you are likely to benefit most from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.


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## Phenix (May 12, 2012)

I read that dorsay but do you think it hold water mate


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## Chrissy....... (Nov 25, 2013)

Its the way things are often worded, id pressume the assumption would be that a couple of squares of bournville per day could be beneficial, but a family bar of dairy milk daily would soon get you unhealthy.


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## AChappell (Jun 1, 2011)

You have to be cautious with attention grabbing headlines like these. Rarely do you get the full story from the journalist and often the conclusions don't match those of the scientists. It certainly stands by what I always say, that absolute numbers maybe more important than what you eat. Maybe we'll be advised to get our 5 squares a day soon enough :heh:


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

MichelleD said:


> I saw this in the news earlier. I wonder if Cal will let me drop all the cardio and replace it with eating chocolate lol???


I'd have thought so, that's why I posted the thread after all...


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## franki3 (Oct 11, 2009)

They say chocolate is a women's sex substitute so m don't flipping go near till after the 7th lol


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## justheretosnoop (Jun 15, 2012)

Sorry, should be ok now dude...


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## franki3 (Oct 11, 2009)

MichelleD said:


> I'll stop scoffing my third family size bar of Bournville then lol :doh:


Bloody hell you'll be like a nun on the 7th FFS lol


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## franki3 (Oct 11, 2009)

As I've got older I have definetly got a much sweeter tooth,and having two young kids there is always sweet stuff about.

But saying that my kids don't eat alot of sweets really not as much as I have seen round other people's house


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## yannyboy (Jun 20, 2009)

You can lose weight eating anything you want as long as calories in are less than calories out!!


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## AChappell (Jun 1, 2011)

You've no doubt seen the "If it fits" stuff Yanny? What do you make of that?

For those that don't know it more or less works, just like Yanny's comment above states.

For me it just seems like an excuse for people to eat whatever they want. So that means KFC and McDonalds are a go so long as it all fits into your daily count. Now a calorie is a calorie, is a frequent argument. For me not really since saturated and trans fats will be metabolized differently from sugars and protein, less not forget the amount of crap that usually comes with eating junk food in high sodium and low vitamins and minerals. Anyway just my two cents.


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## webadmin1466867919 (Dec 1, 2006)

AChappell said:


> You've no doubt seen the "If it fits" stuff Yanny? What do you make of that?
> 
> For those that don't know it more or less works, just like Yanny's comment above states.
> 
> For me it just seems like an excuse for people to eat whatever they want. So that means KFC and McDonalds are a go so long as it all fits into your daily count. Now a calorie is a calorie, is a frequent argument. For me not really since saturated and trans fats will be metabolized differently from sugars and protein, less not forget the amount of crap that usually comes with eating junk food in high sodium and low vitamins and minerals. Anyway just my two cents.


As you say Andy people use this an excuse to binge and say its only x calories. Someone eating 2000 calories of big mac calories is going to have a different effect on their body if they were to eat 2000 complex carbs and lean protein.

I don't believe the standard calorie in vs calorie out equals weight loss theory in every case as I don't see how that accounts for any waste out. Whether your body is likely to increase fat stores is going to be more based on your blood sugar and insulin resistance which will be affected from the foods that are consumed.


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## webadmin1466867919 (Dec 1, 2006)

Regarding the chocolate there are many people who recommend some of the benefits of chocolate and weight loss. The Yerba mate weight loss drink that I've mentioned before has an ingredient of chocolate in it and I do recommend this drink or at least giving it a trial.

I'm not a fan of these fad headlines aspirin has been around for years but recently they've been talking about it a lot in the news.


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## AChappell (Jun 1, 2011)

its a formula that the press love though DJ so sadly these sorts of headlines are here to stay, something bad could be good for you! while thing's like asprin go in and out of fashion with the press again. I just wish they would post more headlines like: Exercise saves lifes and is good for you or fruit and veg the key to a healthy life. rather than so often the reverse.


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