Red wine ingredient linked to lower diabetes risk Those who ate the most anthocyanins were also at lower risk of chronic inflammation, which is linked to a number of conditions including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. The results, published in the Journal of Nutrition, also showed that women whose diet was rich in flavones - another compound found in chocolate - had higher levels of a protein which helps regulate glucose levels. Prof Aedin Cassidy of the University of East Anglia, who led the study, said: "This is one of the first large-scale human studies to look at how these powerful bioactive compounds might reduce the risk of diabetes. What we don't yet know is exactly how much of these compounds are necessary to potentially reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Prof Tim Spector, director of the TwinsUK study at King's College London, who took part in the research, added: "This is an exciting finding that shows that some components of foods that we consider unhealthy like chocolate or wine may contain some beneficial substances. There are many reasons including genetics why people prefer certain foods so we should be cautious until we test them properly in randomised trials and in people developing early diabetes.