Chocolate lovers 'are more depressive'

Chocolate lovers 'are more depressive', say experts

People who regularly eat chocolate are more depressive, experts have found.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8644016.stm

Reading this makes me depressed because I LOVE chocolate. And it doesn't seem to look at other factors which may cause depression, like quality of life issues and stress. Annoying research. My favourite is the sweeping statement: 'Chocolate could even be a direct cause of depression'.

I am going to go eat some chocolate and prove them wrong!   

the sweeping statement: 'Chocolate could even be a direct cause of depression'.

I think that "could" disqualifies the statement from being sweeping. Also, many people find that they are "down" for a few days after a chocolate binge.

'Direct cause' to me is the sweeping part. Could doesn't qualify 'direct cause' enough for me. Being 'down' after a chocolate binge (however you define that) doesn't equal depression either. 

I get sugar high if I eat too much sugar and then I crash. It doesn't make me depressed or down.

Financial stress, ill health, experiencing inequality, homeless, drug / alcohol problems and so on: those are factors that could be more accurately directly linked to depression than eating chocolate. Funding needs to go into dealing with these issues rather than discrediting people's pleasure from eating chocolate.

LOL...that's hilarious.  Over the years I've discovered that no matter what you are trying to prove (and no matter how ridiculous it is), there is a study somewhere that will prove you correct...and another study somewhere else to prove you wrong.

I'm happy with my chocolate-induced endorphins, thank you.   

I always thought eating chocolate was healthy? I know, not in excess, but, wasn't dark chocolate supposed to have some health benefit, like to prevent heart disease when eaten in moderation?? Oh well. I like chocolate. If I want some, I shall eat some. 

I actually went and read the report... It says that "in the study, which included nearly 1,000 adults, the more chocolate the men and women consumed the lower their mood. Those who ate the most - more than six regular 28g size bars a month - scored the highest on depression, using a recognised scale."

Next, the report says that the scientists said "there are many possible explanations for their findings, and that these need to be explored". and that they "cannot rule out that chocolate may be a cause rather than the cure for being depressed".  

"Many possible explanations". "Cannot rule out". These are tentative, heavily qualified statements. Nobody actually said that "chocolate causes depression".

Yeah, I'd start by questioning the following:

what else were they eating
what else was going on in their lives
what kind of chocolate were they eating (i.e. a snickers or a high quality dark chocolate)

Interesting, but it's not going to stop me from having some of my Green and Blacks dark chcolate with dried cherries anytime soon!

I am a chocolate lover (I have to eat at least some chocolate every day!) and have suffered with mild depression twice in the past (it was never diagnosed, but it was definitely more than just a funk ). However, I can't say that the two were necessarily related as the depression was due to specific things happening in my life at that time, yet the chocolate-eating has been a constant .

Ahh, ye olde correlation/causation.

It is entirely possible, is it not, that some people use chocolate to elevate their mood, as a kind of self-medication? It is not also possible that those people might score more highly on a depression scale if they need candy to make them feel better?

Perhaps some of the people who overindulge on the chocolate might feel depressed as a result of guilt from eating too much chocolate / weight gain? I think I could buy that. I've felt pretty down on myself after eating far too much of something I know I shouldn't have, particularly when I am concerned about my weight and then binge on something like chocolate.

It is entirely possible, is it not, that some people use chocolate to elevate their mood, as a kind of self-medication? It is not also possible that those people might score more highly on a depression scale if they need candy to make them feel better?

Yeah but I would say that's more of an eating disorder (using food as comfort when depressed).  And that wouldn't be in line with the statement "chocolate could even be a direct cause of depression", which states the chocolate comes first, then the depression (implying that a person who is not originally depressed could become depressed solely because of eating chocolate).

Yeah but I would say that's more of an eating disorder (using food as comfort when depressed).  And that wouldn't be in line with the statement "chocolate could even be a direct cause of depression", which states the chocolate comes first, then the depression (implying that a person who is not originally depressed could become depressed solely because of eating chocolate).

I definitely comfort-eat lots of chocolate when I'm feeling depressed (I put on nearly 20lbs last time I was really down, due to eating lots of chocolate and cakes, and not doing much exercise), but in that case it's usually the depression causing the desire to eat chocolate (especially if the chocolate is going to elevate my mood for a while), not the chocolate causing the depression.

Hmmm... 

Yeah, I'd start by questioning the following:

what else were they eating
what else was going on in their lives
what kind of chocolate were they eating (i.e. a snickers or a high quality dark chocolate)

Definitely...  amongst others...

Ahh, ye olde correlation/causation.

  exactly my thoughts!