Many of us attempt to avoid specific items when it comes to our diets, either for weight-related or health-related reasons. One such food that is heavy in fat and sugar is chocolate.

However, new research suggests that eating dark chocolate could actually provide some unexpected health benefits.

A study, published in Food Bioscience journal, found that a type of chemical naturally occurring in many plant-based foods could lower the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

This chemical, known as polyphenols, is bitter in taste and can be found in cocoa – with the highest levels of polyphenols usually found in dark chocolate compared to milk.

Polyphenols interact with the bitter taste receptors on the tongue, known as the type 2 taste receptors (TR2).

Now researchers from Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan have found that polyphenol-caused activation of T2R in the gastrointestinal tract causes the secretion of hormones that may help lower a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes and obesity.

More specifically, the scientists discovered that polyphenol-caused activation of T2R in the gastrointestinal tract causes the secretion of gastrointestinal hormones including cholecystokinin (CCK) and incretins like GLP-1.

Both CCK and GLP-1 are known to help decrease appetite and regulate blood sugar levels.

In a media release, Professor Naomi Osakabe from Shibaura Institute, explained: “The gastrointestinal hormones are known to regulate feeding behaviour and maintain glucose tolerance via the endocrine and nervous systems, thus it is possible that the bitterness of polyphenols helps to reduce the risk of diabetes and its complications, through T2R activation.”

The findings suggest that ingested polyphenols, despite remaining unabsorbed, promote the secretion of gastrointestinal hormones by activating bitter taste receptors expressed on the digestive secretory cells, thereby regulating blood sugar levels and appetite.