It's been a common practice among many people to reach for a chocolate bar when they are upset, depressed, or not having a good day.
Good news, according to a Mail Online report, a new study learned that a few squares of chocolates, specifically dark chocolates can actually lift a person's mood.
Researchers in Korea have discovered that healthy adult individuals who consumed 30 grams of 85 percent dark chocolate every day were happier than healthy adults who consumed chocolates "with less cocoa in it," or none at all.
As specified in this report, 30 grams is roughly a third of a 100-gram rectangle of posh dark chocolate available in supermarkets.
Mood Improvements Linked to Bacterial Changes in the Gut
It is believed that mood improvements were linked to bacterial changes in the gut from consuming the chocolate, as suggested by the fecal specimens.
Nevertheless, the benefits were identified only from consuming chocolates that contain 85 percent cocoa, not the famous milk chocolates which could be consumed in moderation.
Chocolate products that have a high percentage of cocoa tend to be better for one since they contain less sugar, fat, as well as other additives like colorings and palm oil.
Used in chocolate production, cocoa is rich in fiber, 'phytochemicals' and iron. Phytochemicals are strong chemicals existing in plants that are identified to back the immune system and reduce the risk of illnesses such as dementia, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and arthritis.
Dark Chocolate as Mood Enhancer
The new study, published in The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, was carried out by researchers at the Department of Food and Nutrition, Seoul National University and College of Human Ecology.
Until to date, little remains known about the emotional impacts of daily intake of dark chocolates is limited, the researchers explained. They added, dark chocolate has long been recognized for its mood-changing properties.
The study authors explained, to the best of their knowledge, this is the first research that provides evidence that daily consumption of dark chocolates impacts both psychological and physiological states.
Additionally, for this research, the authors worked with 46 participants who ate either 30 grams each day of 85 percent cocoa chocolates, 30 grams every day of 70 percent cocoa chocolates, or no chocolate at all, every day for three consecutive weeks.
Significant Reduction of Negative Mood States
The research revealed that eating dark chocolate substantially lessened negative mood states in the 85 percent cocoa group, although not in the 70 percent group.
Fecal samples showed gut microbial diversity was significantly higher in the 85 percent cocoa group than in the control group.
The 85 percent group had higher "Blautia" levels. Blautia is a type of gut microbe, which was substantially linked to positive mood score changes.
It's possible that the mood-changing impact of 85 percent dark chocolate consumption may be 'mediated by alterations in the intestinal bacteria's abundance and diversity, pointed out the researchers.
Prior studies, like the one mentioned in Forsyth Woman, have shown that healthy controls' microbiota has more Blautia compared to patients suffering from psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.
In connection to this, researchers showed in their study that reduced microbial diversity increases the vulnerability of various illnesses which include inflammatory bowel disease or IBD, anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder.
Related information about the benefits of dark chocolate is shown on Seeker's YouTube video below:
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