Chocolate - The Next Valium?

Dark Chocolate Takes Bite Out of Stress

That's the headline that recently caught my eye.

Mention chocolate and you've got my attention. I'm always ready to find out why chocolate is good for me.

Research already points to potential health benefits of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. This study suggests that chocolate might reduce stress. Wow! Get me another piece! I'll even start handing it out!

But before you get too excited, let's take a closer look.

Researchers at the Nestle Research Center studied 30 people for 14 days. Right there you should pause. The study was industry-sponsored – not always a bad thing, but worthy of caution. It was a very small study conducted over a very short time. Good reasons not to draw major conclusions.

Psychological questionnaires were used to classify the study participants into two groups – high anxiety and low anxiety. Everyone ate 40 grams (just over an ounce) of dark chocolate daily. By analyzing changes in their metabolism, the following was determined:

Dark chocolate reduced the level of stress hormones in those people who were already experiencing high anxiety.

So, does chocolate "take the bite out of stress"? Maybe. According to this study, chocolate only worked for people who were already feeling stressed. It didn't have an effect on people who felt calm to begin with.

If you enjoy dark chocolate, a small piece each day is a satisfying treat. Just don't add it to an already high calorie diet. Eat it instead of the cookie, candy or other sweet you'd normally have for a snack or dessert.

As for exciting-sounding news headlines, be sure to read the small print. Small, short-term research studies often point scientists in the right direction, but they're usually not reason enough to draw definitive conclusions.