Question: Does chocolate make people depressed?
Comments
-
Chocolate is definitely something that a lot of people eat when they are stressed/upset/depressed – but they usually eat it to feel better!
People respond to stress and being upset differently – about half of people lose their appetite and don’t feel like eating at all, while the other half crave ‘comfort foods’ like chocolate, cakes and ice-cream.
There is actually a biological reason for this, because chocolate (and other sugary foods) can activate a special region of the brain called the reward centre, which causes a chemical called dopamine to be released into this part of the brain and creates a feeling of pleasure. The effect doesn’t last for that long, so people who use chocolate (or other foods) to feel better, can end up becoming dependent on these foods to feel good (a kind of addiction). But, in moderation, there is no reason why chocolate should make you feel depressed
Interesting question…..
although i don’t know of any specific foods making people depressed so recent work has suggested that altering your diet has a big impact on your mood. Often times you are the best judge of what foods or food combinations make you feel happy or sad, or anywhere in between…..
bottom line is – food can impact on your mood!
1
Hi monica101 and dinosaur.
I think that if you ate enough chocolate and became obese, you might also become depressed.
Also, after you have a sugar hit like chocolate, you get a ‘high’ where the glucose is high in your blood. Then, after a few hours all this glucose gets absorbed and you might experience a ‘low’ because there is much less glucose in your blood stream.
In general though, chocolate is though to make most people feel happier, not sadder 🙂
0