Eating chocolate every day can significantly reduce risk of depression, study claims

Eating chocolate every day can actually be good for you, a new study has found. According to research, eating at least 104 grams of chocolate with a high cocoa content each day can boost your mood and help to alleviate symptoms of depression. Those who ate a portion of dark chocolate every day during the study, which was conducted by University College London, were found to reduce the risk of depression by 70 per cent. While dark chocolate had the most significant impact on mood, the study found that those who ate chocolate of any kind would benefit from a boost. The compounds found in chocolate, flavonoids and phenylethylamine (PEA), stimulate the central nervous system, providing a feel-good effect to the brain. Around 14,000 adults took part in the study, which was conducted alongside scientists from the University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services Canada and published in the journal of Depression and Anxiety. “This study provides some evidence that consumption of chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, may be associated with reduced odds of clinically relevant depressive symptoms,” said lead author Dr Sarah Jackson. She added that further research was needed to establish whether there are reasons people may be less likely to eat chocolate if they are depressed.

Eating chocolate every day can significantly reduce risk of depression, study claims

The study found dark chocolate was the best for boosting mood