NEW YORK, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- A new study found that people who regularly ate chocolate had a lower likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes, but it was only dark chocolate that was associated with a lower risk of developing the disease, not milk chocolate.

It's not entirely clear why that is, but the researchers believe that dark chocolate offers greater metabolic benefits than milk chocolate because it contains less sugar and higher levels of plant compounds that have been shown in some studies to reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity.

While many previous studies have examined the health effects of eating chocolate, the new study, which was published in the BMJ on Wednesday, is one of the few to specifically compare dark and milk chocolate. It's also one of the largest studies on the topic to date.

Dark chocolate contains a lot more cocoa - ground up cacao beans. As a result, it typically has several times the concentration of beneficial plant compounds called polyphenols, particularly one type known as flavonoids, said The Washington Post in its report about the finding.

These naturally occurring substances act as antioxidants and are found in many plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, tea and coffee. A number of studies have indicated that flavonoids might help protect against Type 2 diabetes by improving how our bodies respond to insulin and break down sugar as well as by protecting the beta cells that produce and release insulin from the pancreas, it added.