Does chocolate help with depression?

According to a recent report on a study by the Black Dog Institute (published in the Journal of Affective Disorders) chocolate doesn’t help fight depression.And bad news for those who like to think of chocolate as a comfort food it may very well make you feel worse after eating it by actually prolonging your depression.

Although the momentary indulgence and the whole emotional feeling linked to eating chocolate may make you feel good the pleasure lasts only as long as the chocolate stays in your mouth.

You can read the full report Mood states effect of chocolate or see this article Is chocolate an anti-depressant for a good summarised version.

Eating fast-release carbohydrates like chocolate, sweets and cake are a typical symptom of Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is a form of subconscious self-medication - an attempt to raise low Serotonin levels in the brain - yet eating this type of food generally sets up a craving for more resulting in the typical weight gain experienced by SAD sufferers in winter.

If you want to avoid the whole cycle, it’s better to go for slow release carbohydrates and keep off the chocolate - at least as much as you can!