Another Reason to Eat Dark Chocolate!

Eating dark chocolate daily may help reduce symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome by improving serotonin levels in the brain, according to a recent study. Professor Steve Atkin of Hull York Medical School said he got the idea for the study when one of his patients reported feeling better after replacing her milk chocolate for dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. He decided to study this effect by having 10 people consume 45g of dark chocolate or white chocolate dyed to look like dark chocolate. After a month break from eating one type of chocolate, they tried the other kind for another two months. Those that ate dark chocolate reported significantly fewer fatigue symptoms. After stopping eating chocolate, they had more symptoms of fatigue.

Professor Atkin explained that the effects may be due to the high levels of polyphenols contained in dark chocolate. Polyphenols are chemical substances found in plants that have antioxidant properties and may reduce the risk of diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. High polyphenol levels also seem to improve serotonin levels.

For those who don’t like dark chocolate (or want to avoid the fat and calories), berries, tea, beer, grapes/wine, olive oil, walnuts, peanuts, yerba mate, and other fruits and vegetables also have high levels of phenols. Fruit skins generally contain high levels.