If you are feeling depressed, then reaching for a bar of chocolate will put the smile back on your face. There is now a definitive link between chocolate and your mood, say a group of US based researchers.
Scientific Proof Exists That Chocolate Is Good For You
Dr. Natalie Rose from the University of California along with her colleagues observed that depressed people ate about 8 servings of candy whereas cheerful people ate only about 5 servings of chocolate over a similar period of time. Severely depressed people ate about 11 servings. One serving equates to 1 ounce of chocolate or just a small bar.
The group of researchers said there was a definite link between chocolate and lifting your mood. While we knew this all along, now studies have conclusively proven the fact. Dr. Rose and her associates conducted a study with more than 900 men and women. In it, they kept a record of what the people in the study ate. Their moods were assessed using a depression scale. And a clear link was found; depressed men and women consumed more chocolate than their peers.
But We Still Don't Know Why!
The study did not mention why chocolate put a smile on people's faces and made their constitutions sunnier. But there are several theories about this. Depressed people undergo the same cravings as everyone else when we feel like eating a chocolate. Munching on sugary sweets can be a type of self treatment when feeling out of sorts. On the flip side, eating too much chocolate can also make a person feel down.
Benefits of Eating Chocolates and Candy
Chocolate is known to provide antioxidants and it also provides a psychological boost, like a "feel good" factor. According to some people, chocolate also works like alcohol; both give us a temporary lift. When their effects wear off, we are left feeling even more depressed than before. More studies will be required before it can be determined whether chocolate helps us overcome depression or if it is the culprit that makes us low in the first place.
No comments:
Post a Comment