Findings of the study indicate that certain anti-oxidants in chocolates, like polyphenols, can offer potential health benefits.
Study details
An Indian origin researcher Sunil Kochhar from the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland and his team focused on a group of 30 highly stressed people, including 11 males and 19 females aged 18-35 with body max index (BMI) 18-25.
The volunteers were prescribed a daily consumption of 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate, equivalent of a regular sized Hershey’s bar, for two weeks. To analyse the changes in the stress levels of the volunteers, researchers collected their blood plasma
and urine samples at the beginning, halfway through the study, and at the end of the two week study.
Researchers noted that daily intake of the prescribed consumption of dark chocolate was found to reduce the level of stress hormones--cortisol and catecholamines--in the blood and urine samples at the end. It was even found to partially correct the stress related biochemical imbalances in the bodies of the previously stressed participants.
"The daily consumption of dark chocolate resulted in a significant modification of the metabolism of healthy and free living human volunteers with potential long-term consequences on human health within only 2 weeks treatment," the researchers wrote in the paper. "This was observable through the reduction of levels of stress-associated hormones and normalization of the systemic stress metabolic signatures."
The study appears in the online Journal of Proteome Research by the American Chemical Society.
Dark chocolate’s several health benefits
Dark chocolate is a rich source of the flavonoids--epicatechin and gallic acid--both of which have cardio-protective effects, and is also high in cocoa content.
Moderate intake of dark chocolate has also been shown, through previous studies, to lower the risk of heart disease, relieve pain, lower blood pressure, and protect from skin cancer.
One such study has shown that it can increase the production of brain chemicals like serotonin and endorphins, which are linked with reducing the stress levels and enhancing the feelings of ecstasy.
A more recent research finds dark chocolate helps relieve some symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disorder that causes extreme fatigue which does not go away after you rest. It limits one’s ability to perform even the routine activities.
Journalism increases stress
Are we to accept the inaccurate plagiarism of this journalist?
" any different?
BMI is Body MASS Index. And how are "easing stress" and "lowering stres hormones
The research was slim. But the regurgitation of the facts could at least be well edited.
30 subjects? Two weeks?
30 subjects? Two weeks? Anyone over there heard of the placebo effect? This piddly research does not warrant an article until it's been backed up by further research with larger samples and longer studies. Or was it sponsored by the chocolate industry?
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