Does chocolate help lift the mood?

For sweet tooth lovers, every moment of happiness, sadness or anxiety is a great excuse to eat chocolateas well as being the ideal gift for special occasions.

Bitter, milk, white, black chocolate, in bars, filled, with peanuts, with almonds, in all its thousands of varieties, is an excellent ally for those moments when the desire to eat something delicious strikes.

After eating chocolate, many people experience a feeling of well-being. So much so that it is addictive and when the last bite is gone you immediately want to repeat. Chocolate is definitely associated with a moment of pleasure, but does it really help lift your spirits?

Does chocolate help lift the mood?

There are several studies verifying the theory that chocolate helps lift the mood and has some other virtues for the organism. Some of the most recent: According to a report published in 2021 by the academic journal Frontiers in Immunology, dark chocolate stimulates the brain and helps generate serotonin (the hormone of happiness), which has a direct effect on the control of emotions and also helps the proper functioning of the immune system.

Adding to this study is the scientific report Depression and Anxiety, which indicates that, thanks to its flavonoids, a nutrient that helps regulate mood and improve memory, the consumption of chocolate improves immunity and memory, as well as reducing the inflammation.

For her part, the Nutritionist Carolina Pezzone (MN 4961), of the K41 Medical Center, confirms that chocolate, which comes from mixing sugar with the mass and cocoa butter obtained from cocoa beans, helps lift the mood. And he adds that it also has various properties that many people may not know about:

• It contains fatty oils which, when consumed, stimulate the areas of the brain they supply feeling of pleasure positively affect mood. Also, your intake in moderation reduces stress.

• While there are specific treatments for depression, eating chocolate increases serotonin levels, which has a direct effect on depression emotion control. With low levels of this hormone, people can feel pessimistic, sad and more irritable.

• Some medical studies attribute the properties of Pezzone to chocolate due to its content – in low quantities – of phenylethylamine (FEA), a hormone present in the brain and which increases its level in lovers (it is responsible for the “crush” sensation). This hormone also acts as antidepressant.

• The feeling of pleasure in tasting a chocolate is also given because its composition contains anandamide, a neurotransmitter that many studies call “molecule of happiness”.

• Eating chocolate increases energy and concentration thanks to alkaloids, substances that stimulate the central nervous system. He also has fiber.

• In dark and semi-sweet chocolate there is a substance called theobromine which increases blood flow to the brain, helping to prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Which is better?

Given the wide variety of chocolates available in the market, it is important to know which one is cheaper than the others. In this sense, Pezzone clarifies that “dark or bitter chocolate that contains more than 60% cocoa is healthier as it has low levels of sugar and fat”.

The specialist also points out that a balance must be found in consumption since chocolate has calories. “It is recommended to eat alone 20 grams per day have a sufficient supply of serotonin and be able to cure oneself without guilt”.