A new study has indicated that eating chocolate first thing in the morning may help the body burn fat throughout the day.
The research, carried out at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and published in The FASEB Journal, involved 19 post-menopausal women eating 100g of chocolate within an hour of waking in the morning - as well as an hour before sleep.
Looking at the results, the intake of chocolate made no statistically significant difference in the participants' weight.
As reported by SomersetLive, it actually helped weight loss as it can contribute to lower glucose levels in the blood.
This may be due to flavanols, nutrients abundant in cacao beans that aid fat oxidation.
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The results of the research also suggest that consuming chocolate last thing at night may help regulate sleep and adjust metabolism.
Frank A.J. L. Scheer, a neuroscientist with the division of sleep and circadian disorders, said: "Having chocolate in the morning or the evening/night results in differential effects on hunger and appetite, substrate oxidation, fasting glucose, microbiota (composition and function), and sleep and temperature rhythms.
"Our findings highly that not only 'what' but also 'when' we eat can impact physiological mechanisms involved in the regulation of body weight."
The researchers added: "Results show that females were less hungry when eating chocolate and had less desire for sweets than with no chocolate, especially when taking chocolate during the evening/night.
"Moreover, daily cortisol levels were lower when eating chocolate in the morning than at evening/night."
Even if you do snack on chocolate first thing, they stressed that it should still be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
The new study comes after other recent research into the potential benefits of eating cocoa, the primary ingredient in chocolate.
