The Chocolate Cure For Emotional Stress

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The " Chocolate Cure " For Emotional Stress

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/176940.php

There may well be another important reason for giving your sweetheart sweets for

Valentine's Day besides the traditional romantic one: The " chocolate cure " for

emotional stress is now getting new support from a clinical trial published

online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. It found that eating about an ounce

and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress

hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed. Everyone's favorite

treat also partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances.

Sunil Kochhar and colleagues note growing scientific evidence that antioxidants

and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate may reduce risk factors for

heart disease and other physical conditions. Studies also suggest that chocolate

may ease emotional stress. Until now, however, there was little evidence from

research in humans on exactly how chocolate might have those stress-busting

effects.

In the study, scientists identified reductions in stress hormones and other

stress-related biochemical changes in volunteers who rated themselves as highly

stressed and ate dark chocolate for two weeks. " The study provides strong

evidence that a daily consumption of 40 grams [1.4 ounces] during a period of 2

weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of healthy human volunteers, " the

scientists say.