Depressed people eat more chocolate: study
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Researchers say people who are depressed eat about 50 per cent more chocolate than those who are not. (Reuters)
A US study has confirmed suspicions that people who are depressed eat more chocolate than people who are not.
The study has helped put numbers behind the link between mood and chocolate.
The researchers studied the relationship between chocolate and mood among 931 women and men who were not using antidepressants.
People in the study reported how much chocolate they consumed and most also completed a food frequency questionnaire about their overall diet.
The researchers say people who are depressed eat an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, compared to 5.4 servings among those who are not depressed.
People who have major depression eat even more, with 11.8 servings per month.
A serving was considered to be one small bar - 28 grams - of chocolate.
University of California researchers, Dr Natalie Rose and colleagues, wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine that "depressed mood was significantly related to higher chocolate consumption".
The moods of participants were assessed using a commonly used depression scale.
The researchers found a distinct association between chocolate consumption and depression.
And unlike other studies that looked only at women, the link was true of both men and women.
However, the study could not determine why people who are depressed tend to eat more chocolate.
The researchers suggest depression could stimulate chocolate cravings, leading to people eating chocolate as self treatment.
Another theory is that eating a lot of chocolate can actually cause people to feel depressed.
The team of researchers says it may be something physiological about chocolate that causes depression.
"Distinguishing among these possibilities will require different study designs," the team said.
The team says future studies will be needed to determine whether chocolate is a cause of depression, or a temporary salve.
- Reuters
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