Emma Miller
It is necessary to make sure that a person consumes chocolate within a narrow time period, about an hour, says one of the authors of the study, Dr. Garolet.
Eating milk chocolate at the end of the day does not contribute to weight gain, but the timing of consumption can affect sleep, energy, and the composition of the gut microbiome.
In a randomized crossover study, 19 postmenopausal women with a normal body mass index (BMI) consumed 100 grams of milk chocolate daily in the morning or evening for two weeks and completely abstained from consuming it for another two weeks.
Nutritionists also say that if a person usually runs in the morning or exercises intensely, it will be beneficial for them to eat chocolate before bed. If such people eat chocolate at night, they will have more energy the next morning.
The co-author of the study, Dr. Marta Garolet, noted that it is necessary to make sure that a person eats chocolate within a narrow time frame, about an hour, and does not eat sweets at any other time. This method has shown that chocolate consumption reduces hunger and the desire to eat other sweets. When women ate chocolate at night, their energy intake decreased by 150 kilocalories per day. This reduction is by no means equal to the energy value of chocolate (542 kilocalories/100 grams).
