Chocolate

What is it?

Chocolate is a popular confectionary item that is available in many different forms. One of the main ingredients in chocolate is cocoa, which is made from the beans of the cocoa tree. Cocoa contains several natural chemicals and some people believe that eating chocolate has a beneficial effect on mood.

How does it work?

There are several ways in which chocolate could boost mood.

• Chocolate contains very small amounts of ingredients that might boost mood. These include:
  • natural chemicals which affect the level of certain chemical messengers in the brain (phenylethylamin);
  • flavonoids (higher in dark chocolate compared to milk chocolate), which have anti-inflammatory effects and which may affect cognitive function and/or memory;
  • stimulants (caffeine and theobromine); and
  • a natural chemical that increases feelings of pleasure (anandamine).
• Chocolate is high in carbohydrates and low in protein. Eating foods like this can boost serotonin, which is a natural chemical messenger in the brain. It is thought that increasing serotonin can be helpful in depression.
• The taste and texture of chocolate is pleasant. Some people believe this triggers the release of endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals in the brain which act like opiates to increase pleasure and reduce pain.

Is it effective?

There have been no scientific studies which look at the effectiveness of chocolate as a treatment for clinical depression. One review looked at studies of the effect of cocoa-rich products on depression symptoms and found evidence that eating these may result in short term reduction in depression symptoms. However, the studies were very small and of low quality.

Some research has looked for links between chocolate consumption and mood. One study looked at the diets of people with and without depression and found that both people with and without depression ate similar amounts of chocolate. Another study found that people with depression actually consumed more chocolate on average than people without depression.

However, one large study found that adults who reported eating dark chocolate were less likely to have clinically relevant levels of depression symptoms, but this was not the case for people who ate other forms of chocolate. 

A review of studies which looked at the effects of chocolate on people’s mood found some weak evidence to suggest that eating chocolate might protect against depression, but the findings were mixed.

More studies of higher quality are needed to understand the effects of chocolate (of different kinds) on depression.

Are there any disadvantages?

Chocolate is high in saturated fats and sugar. Eating too much of this kind of food can increase the risk of heart and other disease. The Australian dietary guidelines recommend that chocolate is only eaten sometimes and in small amounts.

Where do you get it?

Chocolate is readily available in supermarkets and other shops. Dark chocolate contains higher levels of cocoa.