Can daily candy consumption lower your risk of type 2 diabetes?
My friend Judy wrote: “This research must come from the Willy Wonka Institute of Don’t Worry About Diabetes.”
She’s got THAT right.
The study Judy included with her e-mail examined candy consumption and health outcomes for more than 15,000 subjects.
Turns out…candy is health food!
When subjects who said they never ate candy were compared with candy consumers, the candy-eaters had lower body mass index totals, smaller waist circumference, and less C-reactive protein (the inflammation marker linked to heart disease risk).
On average, candy consumers were also no heavier than candy abstainers.
Those who said they ate chocolate, but not candy, were found to have higher HDL cholesterol, and a 15 percent reduced risk of metabolic syndrome (the group of risk factors linked to type 2 diabetes development).
Now…what’s wrong with this picture?
Two things: 1) The study period lasted only five years, and 2) Some of the study subjects were as young as 19.
If you’re young and eat candy every day, you’re not likely to develop serious health issues such as metabolic syndrome within just five years. But if you’re still eating candy every day 20 or 30 years later, your type 2 diabetes risk will be considerably higher than at age 19.
The study was also funded in part by the National Confectioners Association. And you know the folks at NCA have got to be loving the headlines, which include this doozie: “You Can Have Your Candy Without Adverse Health Effects.”
No. You can’t.
In moderation, quality dark chocolate can be good for your heart because it has a high percentage of cocoa solids that contain flavanol antioxidants.
But Milk Duds? Gummi Bears? Candy corn? No. Over time they’re guaranteed weight-adders, waist-expanders, and metabolic-syndrome-prompters.
Sorry, Willy!
Sources:
“Candy consumption was not associated with body weight measures, risk factors for cardiovascular disease, or metabolic syndrome in US adults: NHANES 1999-2004” Nutrition Research, Vol. 31, No. 2, February 2011,
nrjournal.com
“You Can Have Your Candy Without Adverse Health Effects” Red Orbit, 3/30/11, redorbit.com
