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New research published in the journal Depression & Anxiety suggests that eating dark chocolate could lower the risk of . A cross-sectional survey of 13,626 adults found that after eating dark chocolate, people experienced less depressive symptoms. People who ate dark chocolate in the past 24 hours were 70% less likely to experience depression. Depression symptoms were measured using Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‐9) scores.

People experienced less depression even with a small amount of dark chocolate as low as 12 grams a day (an average-sized chocolate bar is 43 grams). Overall, 11.1% reported that they ate chocolate, but only 1.4% reporting eating dark chocolate. Dark chocolate was defined as chocolate with at least 45% cocoa.

Milk chocolate did not have the same effect (unfortunately for us milk chocolate fans). Eating non-dark chocolate like milk chocolate, which was both more popular and enjoyable, did not improve depression.

Craving chocolate is common in depression. One study found that nearly half (45%) of people with depression reported craving chocolate. Chocolate contains many natural chemicals such as flavanols, , and theobromine that could help explain how chocolate boosts one's mood.

Since people who have healthier lifestyles might tend to choose dark chocolate and be at lower risk for depression for lifestyle reasons, researchers controlled for factors like physical activity, , , total sugar and caloric intake, age, , marital status, , income, weight, and chronic medical problems. People with health issues related to sugar, such as diabetes were not included in the study. After controlling for these factors, dark chocolate remained associated with a lower risk for depression. The study does not prove causation but lends weight to the potential benefits of dark chocolate—at least over milk chocolate—for depression.

Other considerations about dark chocolate include being aware that it can trigger migraines or cause . Also, if one is consuming raw cacao powder, it is important to check to brands of cocoa powder since many are known to contain higher levels of toxic heavy metals like cadmium.

Otherwise, this study adds to the research suggesting the health and mood benefits of dark chocolat—and it can relieve some of the guilt from eating a little dark chocolate.

Copyright © Marlynn Wei, MD 2019