Question

Eating chocolate relieves stress

Comments

I think that moderate consumption of dark chocolate can indeed help relieve stress by boosting mood, lowering cortisol levels, and offering a comforting treat. However, it should be part of an overall healthy lifestyle, as overconsumption or reliance on chocolate for stress management can have the opposite effect.

Answer 1

Yes, this is partially true and there is evidence that dark chocolate specifically can help reduce stress such as cortisol levels and improve mood in the short term. However, the results are not permanent for long-term stress relief nor for all types of chocolate. The effect appears stronger when dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids and consumed under controlled conditions. Healthline reports, "Reports that dark chocolate changed brain-wave frequency (gamma waves) and suggests stress reduction". The clinical study of medical students may have a small sample sized, limited generalizability, and was not fully randomized.  Flavonoid-rich chocolate studies may be supported by chocolate manufacturers or selective reporting of positive outcomes. There as an adult trial showed a significant lowering of salivary cortisol after they ate high-flavonoid dark chocolate. According to the clinical study, students who had chocolate every day for two weeks reported feeling less stressed. While there is credible evidence that dark chocolate can reduce stress markers in the short term, the claim that eating chocolate relieves stress is over generalized. The effect depends on type, dose, duration, and population.

healthline.com/health-news/dark-chocolate-improves-memory-reduces-stress

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4350893/

Answer 2

An article by the outlet verywellmind claims that dark chocolate can lower stress levels, but is this actually true? Cortisol is a hormone inside the body that is the main reason behind the feeling of stress, and when the body releases it is when you feel stress. The article's main claim is that eating dark chocolate can acutally lower the cortisol levels inside your body and therefore reduce stress. The author's first piece of evidence is a experiment published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, where they took 65 men and women and gave half of them 50 grams of real dark chocolate and the other half  50 grams of "fake" dark chocolate, which was just white chocolate dressed and modified to resemble dark chocolate every day for two weeks. When they observed their stress levels, there was a clear difference in those in the actual experiment and those in the control group, namely, the people who ate the real dark chocolate had a noticable decrease in their cortisol levels. The scientists figured out the main culprit of this difference, it was the flavonoids in the dark chocolate that were absent in the white chocolate. The author then goes on to claim that milk chcolate also offers some help in relieving stress too and cites an experiment published by the International Journal of Health Sciences. This study is similar to the other, only all three types of chocolate were tested (dark, milk, and white). 60 people were seperated into three groups, (10 men and 10 women in each), each with a different type of chocolate. They were given 40 grams of chocolate for two weeks and eveyday completed a percieved stress scale questionaire. Overall, there was a noticable decrease in stress in the groups who ate dark and milk chocolate versus the white chocolate. Overall, the article was not wrong in their claim and provided evidence in their reasoning, it just seems as though the title doesn't specify how much stress is reduced from eating chocolate so it seems just slightly exaggeratory. 

Article from verywellmind: https://www.verywellmind.com/dark-chocolate-health-and-stress-relief-3144564

Study from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2014.02.580

Study from the International Journal of Health Sciences: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25780358/

Answer 3

Yes this could be true. According to the National Institute of Health, eating chocolate, especially dark and milk chocolate, can help reduce perceived stress levels. In their study of medical students, those who consumed 40 grams of dark or milk chocolate daily for two weeks showed a significant decrease in stress scores, while those who ate white chocolate did not. The researchers suggest that cocoa polyphenols, found in dark and milk chocolate, may help lower stress by reducing oxidative stress and improving hormonal balance. Because of this, chocolate has been found to reduce stress making this claim true. 

source: 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4350893/

Answer 4

After researching, I found an article from the National Library of Medicine that claims Women eating dark chocolate can relieve stress. The study that this website and article were conducted around was sixty students who were divided equally into three batches: dark chocolates, milk chocolates, and white chocolates, with consumption of 40 grams per day for fourteen days in total. The study showed that there was a significant reduction in stress levels in students who ate either dark or milk chocolates, whereas there was no significant reduction in stress levels in the white chocolate group. The study concluded that the effect was more in female students. It revealed that the stress-relieving property was because of cocoa polyphenols and flavonoid antioxidants in dark and milk chocolates, which help in controlling stress hormones and balancing body antioxidants efficiently. Overall, from the research I took from this study, eating dark or milk chocolates can help in reducing stress in students, especially female students, making is kind of true, but definitely needs to be further studied for confirmation on males and other aspects. Also backing up with John Hopkins Medicine that dark chocolate increases heart health and that it's connected to the cardiovascular system, which is why it can help reduce stress. 

Sources:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4350893/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-benefits-of-having-a-healthy-relationship-with-chocolate

Answer 5

The information provided in the VeryWell article can be deemed accurate. The article makes the claim that dark choclate can be stress managment within limited doses; specifcally 1.5 oz. The article utilizes a study comparing dark verses white chocolate, however, does not provide any information on where they recieved this study.

After further research though, we see a medical blog ,Cleveland Clinic, state that dark chocolate is a food known for stress relief. This claim is further supported by Journal of American College of Cardiology journals, that utilizes a placebo-controlled study that spilt the study into two and then underwent psychological stressor 2h after ingestion . After analyzing stress hormone levels we see graphical representation of dark chocolate lowering the amount of stress hormone.

https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2014.02.580

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/eat-these-foods-to-reduce-stress-and-anxiety

Answer 6

Though I have not found much information that proves milk/white chocolate reduces stress, the article does a great job explaining how dark chocolate reduces stress. The article starts off by explaining how dark chocolate targets and lowers our cortisol levels- which is considered to be our primary stress hormone. The article explains a study where 65 men were given chocolate- either dark or white and soon after put them into stressful situations. Their stress hormones were tracked before/after these events and results proved that the ones eating dark chocolate releases less cortisol. In an article by Hopkins Medicine, it is noted that dark chocolate has a positive effect on heart health, because stress is a factor of cardiovascular disease. With that being said, both articles state that having a healthy chocolate intake is crucial. Hopkins Medicine explains that those who associate chocolate with guilt have encountered problems suck as “unhealthy eating behaviors… reduced quality of life…and body image dissatisfaction.” Ultimately, dark chocolate can reduce your stress levels, but only if you have a healthy relationship with chocolate and your intake. 

Source: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-benefits-of-having-a-healthy-relationship-with-chocolate

Answer 7

According to the source provided, yes, chocolate does lower cortisol levels (which control stress). However, I feel it's important to differentiate that not all types of chocolate will lower cortisol levels the same way. The flavonoids in the chocolate are physically found in the cacao bean, meaning that the larger the percentage of cacao, the more you'll experience the soothing effects promised. Dark chocolate has more flavonoids and antioxidants than white chocolate. So, in this scenario...not all chocolate is created equal, which is why this claim is more misleading than true. It's not inherently False, since white chocolate would lower cortisol levels, too, but it's important to note that the effects will vary.

Sources:

https://www.verywellmind.com/dark-chocolate-health-and-stress-relief-3144564

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4350893/

https://lovecocoa.com/blogs/news/the-hidden-ingredient-in-chocolate-to-relax-you?srsltid=AfmBOorBT0Nfrgyppgpu2vcG-dIfrvOnO0XHwOREl3kXDdiBqu6Tgqpv

Answer 8

1. Overall I found that eating a moderate amount chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, can help reduce stress. It can help reduce stress because it changes the wavelengths in your brain called gamma frequencies. Even though chocolate might not necessarily be considered "healthy", if you want to include it into your balanced diet, one to two ounces of dark chocolate daily is generally what experts recommend.

2. One primary source I found from Health Line explains how dark chocolate along with a balanced diet can actually help decrease a persons stress. Another source I found is a Nestle USA article on their website that also agrees with the claim that chocolate, specifically dark chocolate can reduce a persons stress. 
4. Both sources do not go over potential negatives of eating chocolate as a stress reliever. Nestle USA is a chocolate company and they could be writing to persuade the readers to buy their chocolate in hopes of relieving their stress. 
5. According to a Nestle study, "eating a moderate amount of dark chocolate everyday can help reduce hormones in your body that make you feel stressed". This is because the chemical compounds in dark chocolate may improve a persons level of stress if they tend to have higher stress levels. When you are stressed your bodies chemistry becomes unbalanced so indulging in moderate amounts of dark chocolate can help balance your body.
6. Chocolate contains sugar even "dark chocolate contains sugar", according to the Health Line article. The high amounts of sugar in chocolate can be harmful for your body if it is not balanced with a nutritional diet.
7. Did not answer at this time.

Sources: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/dark-chocolate-improves-memory-reduces-stress#1

https://www.nestleusa.com/media/news-and-features/chocolatestress

Answer 9

The claim "Eating chocolate relieves stress" is true to a certain extent. The source provided does mention other kinds of chocolate possibly helping but mainly focusing on dark chocolate. But a different source I found only talks about dark chocolate helping with stress. So, while yes, this claim is true, it seems as if the chocolate that helps with stress is dark chocolate.

New studies show dark chocolate consumption reduces stress and inflammation, while improving memory, immunity and mood | News

Answer 10

After doing research, this is true chocolate relieves stress! This is because when we eat chocolate our body releases cortisol. Coristol is the body's primary stress hormone. Among its many functions, it prepares your body to respond when you're faced with a stressful situation. Not only is dark chocolate a good choice to relieve stress, milk chocolate is too. People eating either dark or milk chocolate lowered the stress they felt by two to three points. A interesting fact that researchers found is that the stress-relieving effects of these two chocolates were greater for females than males. Researchers also found that the perfect amount of chocolate to eat for stress relief is around a daily dose of about 1.5 ounces. The higher the cocoa content, the better it is for your health, so aim for 80% or higher. Lastly, studies show if you savor eating the chocolate and really enjoy eating it, it will improve the stress relief even more. 

Source

https://www.verywellmind.com/dark-chocolate-health-and-stress-relief-3144564