- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Molecule in Skin May Link Eczema and Asthma
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- Know Your Asthma Triggers
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Wristbands May Lessen Nausea After Radiation
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Meditation May Boost Short-Term Visual Memory
- BONES & JOINTS
- Weight Loss Might Not Curb Knee Arthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- Vitamin C Protects Some Elderly Men From Bone Loss
- CANCER
- Vitamin D May Lower Colon Cancer Risk
- Omega-3 May Safely Treat Precancerous Bowel Polyps
- Smoking Exposure Now Linked to Colon, Breast Cancers
- CAREGIVING
- Caring for Aging Loved Ones Can Be a Catch-22
- Moms Who Breast-Feed Less Likely to Neglect Child
- What Moms Learned May Be Passed to Offspring
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Tai Chi and Qigong Offer Many Health Benefits: Review
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- COSMETIC
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- Wrinkle Fillers Need Better Label Warnings: FDA Panel
- Get Sugared!.... Its a sweet choice for hair removal
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
- Mom's Vitamin D Levels Affect Baby's Dental Health
- Acid Drinks Blamed for Increase in Tooth Erosion
- DIABETES
- Strict Blood Sugar Lowering Won't Ease Diabetes Heart Risk
- Doctors Urged to Screen Diabetics for Sleep Apnea
- Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Compound in Berries May Lessen Sun Damage
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- Diet, Exercise May Slow Kidney Disease Progression
- DISABILITIES
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Controversial Chemical Lingers Longer in the Body
- Heavy Traffic Can Be Heartbreaking
- Greener Neighborhoods Mean Slimmer Children
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Americans Losing Sight of Eye Health
- Autistic Children Make Limited Eye Contact
- Poor Night Vision May Predict Age-Related Eye Disease
- FITNESS
- Many Cancer Survivors Don't Adopt Healthy Lifestyle
- As Temperature Plummets, It's Still Safe to Exercise
- MRSA Infections Can Bug Fitness Buffs
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- Intestinal Bacteria Trigger Immune Response
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Afternoon Nap Might Make You Smarter
- Living Alone Increases Odds of Developing Dementia
- Want Sun Protection? Wear Red or Blue
- HEAD & NECK
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Imaging Sheds Light on How Acupuncture Works
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Fewer Heart Attacks After England Goes Smoke-Free
- Ingredient in Dark Chocolate Could Guard Against Stroke
- How Weight Loss Can Help the Heart
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Bacterial Infections May Succumb to Honey
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- KID'S HEALTH
- More Calcium And Dairy Products in Childhood Could Mean Longer Life
- Winter's Bitter Cold Poses Health Dangers
- Obese Children More Likely to Suffer Lower Body Injuries
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Strenuous Daily Workout May Keep Cancer at Bay
- Countdown to Hair Loss
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Environmental Chemicals May Affect Male Reproduction
- Music Soothes Anxiety as Well as Massage Does
- Cinnamon Breaks Up Brain Plaques, May Hold Key to Fighting Alzheimer’s
- PAIN
- Acupuncture, Real or Fake, Eases Back Pain
- Alleviating Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Are We Exercising Pain Away? Not So Much.
- PREGNANCY
- Woman in America Are Delaying Motherhood, Study Says
- Breast-Feeding Benefits Moms and Babies
- Yoga's Benefits Outweigh Risks for Pregnant Women
- SENIORS
- Mediterranean Diet Plus Exercise Lowers Alzheimer's Risk
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old
Chocolate a Sweet Pick-Me-Up for the Depressed
By eholistic.com Published: 04/27/2010
Could the depressed be "self-medicating" with chocolate? A new study finds that people battling depression reach for more of the sweet treat than non-depressed folks do.
Many people believe that "when they are feeling a little bit down, chocolate makes them feel better," said lead researcher Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb, an associate professor in the department of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego.
Chocolate does appear to be popular among people with depression, whether or not they are being treated with antidepressants, the research team found. "A lot of us may have been able to predict this finding," Golomb said.
For the study, published in the April 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, the UCSD team looked at the relationship between chocolate and mood in 931 women and men who were not taking antidepressants.
The participants were asked how much chocolate they ate, and their level of depression was measured on a standard depression scale.
People diagnosed as depressed ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate each month compared with 5.4 servings among people who were not depressed, the researchers found.
The most depressed ate the most chocolate -- around 11.8 servings a month, the team discovered.
These findings were the same for men and women.
When the researchers looked at people who were taking medication for depression, they found these people ate chocolate at the same rate as those with untreated depression, according to Golomb.
No difference was noted regarding consumption of other foods, such as fish, coffee, caffeine or fruits and vegetables, between the depressed and non-depressed people, the researchers found. The difference seemed to be isolated to chocolate, they said.
Chocolate -- particularly dark chocolate -- has been linked in other research to improved cardiovascular health and longevity, possibly because of its antioxidant properties, Golomb noted.
The link with depression could have several explanations. Because it is thought to improve mood, it could be a form of "self-medication," Golomb noted.
On the other hand, chocolate might contribute to depression, or the link could be a complex combination of as yet unknown physiological effects, the researchers said. Future studies are needed to further explore the association, they said.
Experts voiced different reactions to the findings.
"The nature of 'emotional eating' or 'comfort foods' is complex," said Dr. Gregory Simon, a psychiatrist and mental health researcher at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.
"When people feel depressed or distressed, they may prefer certain foods because of their nutritional content, such as more fat or refined sugar, or their emotional meaning, because some foods are seen as a treat or a consolation, or their practical qualities, since some foods take less motivation or energy to prepare or consume," Simon said.
Another expert, Dr. Lorrin Koran, professor emeritus of psychiatry and behavioral science, at Stanford University School of Medicine, noted that "chocolate has many advantages over other possible pleasures."
It is available, cheap, does not lose its pleasure-inducing quality with repeated use, does not require relating to other people and is culturally approved as a source of legitimate pleasure, he said.
"I strongly doubt that chocolate either induces depression or interferes with recovery from depression," Koran said. "If either idea were true, this would long ago have become obvious given the ubiquitous use of the substance over the last 500 years."
SOURCES: Beatrice A. Golomb, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego; Gregory Simon, M.D., M.P.H., psychiatrist and mental health researcher, Group Health Research Institute, Seattle; Lorrin Koran, M.D., professor emeritus, psychiatry and behavioral science, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.; April 26, 2010, Archives on Internal Medicine Published on: April 26, 2010
