Eat chocolate in the morning to lose weight: study

Grilled pumpkin- chocolate tart is served at Mas La Grillade in New York, U.S.(Bloomberg)

Eating chocolate cake for breakfast may actually help you lose weight

It sounds too good to be true, but recent studies showed eating deserts might actually help people lose weight.

A group of researchers from Israel’s Tel Aviv University split 193 obese people into a 300-calorie breakfast group and a 600-calorie one with chocolate cake.

Over the next 32 weeks, the group who had desert – cookies, cake, or chocolate – lost an average of 40 pounds more than a group that avoided such foods altogether, reported Mirror news in Britain.

What's more, they kept pounds off longer.

The early sugar rush prevented hunger pangs for the rest of the day. But those on the low-carbohydrate breakfast did not feel full and cheated on their diet.

Professor Daniela Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University said attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term.

A meal in the morning provides energy for the day's tasks, aids in brain functioning, and kick-starts the body's metabolism, making it crucial for weight loss and maintenance, according to a Tel Aviv statement.

And breakfast is the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger, explains Jakubowicz. While the level of ghrelin rises before every meal, it is suppressed most effectively at breakfast time.