UCSD logoPreviously a study linked depression with abdominal obesity. According to experts from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, women and men consuming more chocolate display an elevation in depressive symptoms. Therefore, a link between mood and chocolate has apparently been identified.

While ascertaining the correlation between chocolate consumption and mood, the scientists scrutinized approximately 1,000 subjects. It should be noted that all the participants were seemingly not on any form of antidepressant medications. Also none of the subjects revealed any known cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at UCSD School of Medicine quoted, “Our study confirms long-held suspicions that eating chocolate is something that people do when they are feeling down. Because it was a cross sectional study, meaning a slice in time, it did not tell us whether the chocolate decreased or intensified the depression.”

During the analysis, participants were questioned on the number of chocolate servings they consumed in a week. Having employed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), the scientists screened the participants and measured their mood. The investigators noted that both men and women facing elevated depression scores consumed approximately 12 servings of chocolate every month.

Golomb explained, “The findings did not appear to be explained by a general increase in caffeine, fat, carbohydrate or energy intake, suggesting that our findings are specific to chocolate.”

Men and women having lesser depression scores seemingly consumed around eight servings of chocolate per month. And participants with no depression revealed five servings per month. The study author was probably unable to identify any variation between depression with dark or milk chocolate. A medium serving of chocolate may have been considered as one ounce, i.e., a little less than an average chocolate candy bar.

Also no difference in the consumption of other antioxidant-rich foods, such as fish, coffee, fruits and vegetables was discovered those with depression were pitted against those without. The author affirmed to carry out future studies ascertaining the basis of this association. Even the role of chocolate as cause or cure of depression is yet to be made known.

The study will be published in the April 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.