Study Shows that Depressed Individuals Consume More Chocolate

It’s long been known that chocolate is a great comfort food. People eat it when they’re happy, sad, lonely, and bored. Recent research conducted by a team at the School of Medicine at University of California, San Diego, shows a link between severity of depressive symptoms and the amount of chocolate consumed by both men and women.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, April 26th edition, supports the long-held theory that people often turn to chocolate when they are feeling blue.

The study looked at a sample of approximately 1000 adult subjects. None of the participants were taking antidepressants, nor did they have a known history of diabetes or cardiovascular illness. The subjects responded to questions about how much chocolate they consumed in a week. Their mood symptoms were assessed using a mood scale.

Those who had no depressive symptoms ate only 5 servings (one ounce per serving) of chocolate each month, whereas those who scored high on the scale reported eating 12 per month. Those with milder depression consumed approximately 8 servings monthly.

The results of the study did not show whether or not depressive symptoms were made worse or better by the chocolate. Further research may show whether chocolate contributes to or helps alleviate depressive symptoms.