Skip to: [ search ] [ menus ] [ content ] Select style [ Aqua ] [ Citrus ] [ Fire ] [ Orange ] [ show/hide more content ]



Chocolate… and depression

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and the University of California, Davis looked at the consumption of chocolate by 931 men and women who were not using antidepressants. The participants were also screened for depression.

You guessed it! :-)

Those who were positive for depression consumed an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate (serving = 1 ounce of chocolate candy) per month, as compared with 5.4 servings per month among those participants who were not depressed. Those who scored highest for depression, indicating possible major depression, consumed an average of 11.8 servings of chocolate per month. The findings were similar for men and women.

Other dietary factors like caffeine, fat, and carbohydrate intake were also examined – only chocolate consumption was correlated with mood.

Chocolate stimulates the release of some chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine, that produce pleasure.

It is not clear exactly HOW chocolate and depression are linked, however. The LATimes article presents some theories.

-Bill at

Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”

You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®. Both Shutterfly™ and CafePress® ship to most international locations worldwide! Framed prints and prints on canvas can be ordered from our galleries on imagekind® and redbubble®. All four locations are accessible from here. Be a “Facebook Fan” of Cheshire Cat Photo here! If you don’t see what you want or would like to receive an email when new photos are up on the site, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.

©2010 William F. Hackett. All Rights Reserved.

No Comments to “Chocolate… and depression”

  (RSS feed for these comments)

You must be logged in to post a comment.


InspectorWordpress has prevented 52153 attacks.
Get Adobe Flash player