Eating chocolate helps you lose weight
| Eating chocolate helps you lose weight | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "A scientific study showed that eating a bar of dark chocolate every day speeds up weight loss." | |
| Domain | Food, Nutrition & Wellness |
| Tactic | Statistical & Evidentiary Distortion Imposture |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | March 2015 |
| Origin | A deliberately flawed study by journalist John Bohannon, writing as "Johannes Bohannon" of a fake "Institute of Diet and Health," published in a pay-to-publish journal and promoted with a press release |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Food, Nutrition & Wellness | |
In 2015, headlines around the world reported that eating chocolate helps you lose weight. The study was a deliberate sting by science journalist John Bohannon and a German film crew, designed to show how easily bad nutrition science spreads. They ran a tiny trial, measured many outcomes, reported the one that came out "significant" and sent out a press release. Bohannon revealed the hoax in May 2015.
The claim
News outlets, including Germany's Bild, reported that dieters who ate chocolate lost weight faster.
What the evidence shows
- Tiny study. The trial had about 15 participants split into three groups.
- Many measures. Measuring 18 outcomes made it likely that something would appear significant by chance.
- Weak publication. The paper was accepted quickly by a journal that charged authors and performed little review.
- No checking. Most outlets did not ask about sample size or contact independent experts.
Why it matters
The sting showed how press releases, weak journals and eager media turn noise into news.
Sources
- John Bohannon, "I Fooled Millions Into Thinking Chocolate Helps Weight Loss. Here's How," io9, May 27, 2015.