Welcome news for chocolate lovers everywhere: less than half-an-ounce a day might keep depression at bay, according to a cross-sectional survey of over 13,000 US adults.
The study, published July 29, 2019, in Depression & Anxiety, found that individuals who ate a small daily amount of dark chocolate had 70 percent lower odds of reporting depressive symptoms than those who ate no chocolate at all, even after accounting for age, education, income, weight, physical activity, alcohol, and other factors.
There’s a small catch: it has to be dark chocolate (defined as containing 45% or more cocoa solids); milk chocolate eaters did not experience the same benefits.
Read more about this study:
Psychiatric Times: “Dark Chocolate for Depression”
Psychology Today: “Can a Chocolate a Day Keep Depression Away?”
Science Daily: “People who eat dark chocolate less likely to be depressed”