Research suggests eating chocolate as beneficial as exercise
A compound known as epicatechin, which can be found in dark chocolate, boosts muscle growth like exercise does.That is according to researchers at Wayne State University, whose study was published in the Journal of Physiology.
Dr Moh Malek, a researcher involved in the study, said: "Aerobic exercise, such as running or cycling, is known to increase the number of mitochondria in muscle cells ... our study has found that epicatechin seems to bring about the same response - particularly in the heart and skeletal muscles."
Those involved in the study also found that when exercise was combined with eating small amounts of dark chocolate it improved performance by as much as 50 per cent.
The study was carried out on mice and Dr Malek conceded that it would be a "leap of faith" to suggest that the same effect would occur in humans, although he suggested it is a platform from which to conduct further studies.
In 2005, a study conducted by the University of L'Aquila revealed that eating dark chocolate may help people to control diabetes and blood pressure.
