Chocolate's connection with stress may not be news, but just how it's connected certainly is. Many people feel that they are more likely to eat chocolate when they feel stressed, for example, and perceive that as a problem. Others think of theobromine, one of the active chemical compounds of chocolate, as a euphoria-producing drug that can counteract stress. Others point to the flavanoids in chocolate, and their role in reducing blood pressure. The physically calming effect, they figure, could show up as a psychologically calming effect as well.
But new research examines the effects of eating dark chocolate on the entire metabolism of healthy men and women. A group of volunteers was asked to maintain a diet free of chocolate for 8 days, and then provided fluid samples which were tested for hormones indicating stress and anxiety. The subjects were then given 40 grams each day of 74% chocolate, and otherwise did not make any changes in their lifestyles. After 14 days of consuming just about an ounce of dark chocolate each day, volunteers again provided fluids for study.
Their results showed that the metabolic effects of stress had lessened in those subjects who were showing physical signs of stress at the beginning of the study. Researchers didn't observe significant changes in those who weren't suffering from stress initially; that is, the changes weren't simply a reduction in the chemicals measured, but a normalization in the metabolic pattern. Likewise, the study didn't measure self-reported feelings of stress, but rather the physical and chemical signature of stress in the body.
In a high-stress situation, then, you'd be wise to add a bit of dark chocolate to your day.
