Posted on 04/26/2010 9:52:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, experts have found.
Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.
Many believe chocolate has the power to lift mood, and the US team say this may be true, although scientific proof for this is lacking. But they say they cannot rule out that chocolate may be a cause rather than the cure for being depressed. In the study, which included nearly 1,000 adults, the more chocolate the men and women consumed the lower their mood. Those who ate the most - more than six regular 28g size bars a month - scored the highest on depression, using a recognised scale. None of the men and women were on antidepressants or had been diagnosed as clinically depressed by a doctor. 'Mood food' Dr Natalie Rose and her colleagues from the University of California, San Diego, say there are many possible explanations for their findings, and that these need to be explored.
It may simply be that people who are depressed crave chocolate as a "self-treatment" to lift mood, or depression may drive the craving without any beneficial effect.
"Alternatively, analogous with alcohol, there could be short-term benefits of chocolate to mood with longer-term untoward effects," they told the journal. Chocolate could even be a direct cause of depression, the researchers added.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
I showed this to Mrs. 40 and she said she’d be depressed if she couldn’t have chocolate.
The New Puritans — people with the pervasive fear and irrational suspicion that someone, somewhere, is having fun.
Do you ever get the feeling that this planet has way too many “researchers” with way too much time on their hands.
What about those of us who eat it daily?
As usual I get in my quick response that the Puritans were a feasting, smoking, drinking, dancing, hard working, fun loving people.
The “Puritan” label referred to their desire to keep the worship pure of Roman Catholic influences.
Correlational studies do not show causation. It could easily be that many people who are depressed eat more chocolate as a comfort food.
A lot of research shows that chocolate is good for you, it is not just a “mood enhancer”, dark chocolate especially helps blood vessels, circulation, blood pressure and your heart.
People who are depressed probably find some comfort in the mood enhancing properties of chocolate, but I don’t believe that most people who eat chocoate are depressed, that’s just ridiculous.
“None of the men and women were on antidepressants or had been diagnosed as clinically depressed by a doctor”
So why are they being classified as “depressed”.
I wonder what the questions were.
I think the whole thing is pure bunk. Long live chocolate~
I am guessing they are like the scientology questions. “Do you feel sad sometimes” “Do you sometimes wish your life was better” “Do you get angry at people”
bookmark . . . munch, munch :-)
Obummer Lovers ‘Are More Repressive’, Say Expert
If I could only have 1 chocolate bar a week, THAT would depress me.
What total bunk... i think i’ll just go end it all. (my stash of chocolate that is)
Depending on the “chocolate” in question, these folks might just be having a sugar crash that has to do with blood glucose levels, and little, if anything to do with chocolate. Give them 90% cacao chocolate. Now that’s the GOOD STUFF, and come back and ask the question in a couple of weeks. They’ll be as happy as a little zargunoid.
Death by Chocolate?
Ah, interesting. Thanks for the correction.
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