For many people feeling depressed, a piece of chocolate offers them comfort and a moment of pleasure. Experts say this is due to the mood-enhancing affects of chocolate. Not surprisingly, new studies indicate that depressed people eat more chocolate than those who aren't depressed.
Research about chocolate was recently conducted by universities in California. Scientists asked more than 900 men and women about their eating habits pertaining to chocolate. None of the participants were on anti-depressants. The questions included, "How much chocolate do you consume on a regular basis? And "How frequently do you consume chocolate?"
A commonly accepted depression scale was used to gauge the mood of the participants. Scientists were able to detect a clear connection between the consumption of chocolate and feelings of depression among the participants.
The found on average, that the people who had depression ate about eight and a half servings of chocolate each month. By contrast, those who said they didn't have depression ate only five and a half servings a month.
Moreover, participants that were considered clinically depressed consumed an average of about 12 servings of chocolate per month. However, the researchers noted that none of the participants thought the chocolate they ate aided them in treating their depression. For the study, one serving was defined as one ounce of chocolate.
The study conducted was not designed to determine why people eat more chocolate when they are depressed. Researchers deduced that depression may stimulate a craving for chocolate, making people consume chocolate to treat their condition.
The way it works is this: chocolate triggers the release of endorphins and in doing so, it lifts the mood. Of course, it can have a cyclical effect since eating a lot of chocolate can fill a person with remorse and make them feel depressed. This can make them seek out chocolate.
As much as researchers have learned from these studies, it's clear that a lot more needs to be learned about the link between chocolate and depression.
Get additional pieces of work by this very writer covering items such as popcorn oil popped and popcorn machine supplies.
Posted under depression
This post was written by Martha Miller on September 1, 2010
