Dark Chocolate Helps Ease Emotional Stress

November 11, 4:41 PMCharlotte Diet and Exercise ExaminerDenise Reynolds, RD LD/N

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Hershey's Dark Chocolate can make you feel good, according to a new study.
Photo by Wikimedia Commons

Chocolate is often eaten for pleasure, and now new research has found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day can reduce levels of stress hormones in the body. The study is published in the online Journal of Proteome Research, by the American Chemical Society.

The 30 study participants ate just under the equivalent of a regular sized Hershey’s bar, and samples of urine a blood plasma were drawn at the beginning, mid-point, and end of the two-week study. The stress hormones cortisol and catecholamines were reduced in the samples of the participants who ate dark chocolate.

The study adds to the latest research of the health benefits of moderate intakes of dark chocolate, including reduction in heart disease and decreasing the risk of cancer. Polyphenols, a type of antioxidant compound, is the key beneficial ingredient in dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to cacao, but without milk as an additive. Because it is has a higher cocoa content than milk chocolate, it is a rich source of the flavonoids epicatechin and gallic acid, both of which have cardioprotective effects and are also present in green tea.

Previous research into the psychological effects of chocolate has found that it can increase the production of brain compounds serotonin and endorphins, which reduce stress and lead to feelings of euphoria. One study found that the savoring of dark chocolate stimulates all regions of the brain more intensely, and lasts four times longer than the feeling of excitement one feels during passionate kissing. A more recent study found relief from symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome with consumption of dark chocolate.

The average American eats about 12 pounds of chocolate a year.