Yes, chocolate has mood booster effects. Dark chocolate is especially known not just for its natural antidepressant properties but also as a mood booster too. Dark chocolate contain serotonin and is also used in order lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the heart and brain and it is used to lower cholesterol levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is known to affect the appetite, sleep patterns and the mood and an SNRI review. Depression is a brain disorder that usually makes the suffer look and feel unhappy – depression affects the mind, which in turn affects the body too. Eating dark chocolate is one depression treatment that many people will find pleasurable.
Benefits of Eating Chocolate
The health advantages that come from eating dark chocolate is derived from the flavanol anti-oxidants that is present in the chocolate. Chocolate also helps to boost serotonin levels in the brain.
Please know that you will not be able to experience the mood booster effects of consuming dark chocolate if you eat it with a glass of milk and also what is the difference between a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and a selective serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. This is because the chemical reaction that will occur between milk and chocolate will lower the advantages that you will get after eating dark chocolate.
Consuming too much Dark Chocolate
Consuming dark chocolate is known to work as a natural antidepressant by helping to boost the body’s serotonin levels which in turn elevates mood. But eating too much dark chocolate can lead to the following:
• Increase in weight gain
• Heartburn
• Complications for migraine sufferers
• Kidney stones
Too much serotonin in the body can also lead to the following:
• Anxiety
• Sleeplessness (insomnia)
• Gastrointestinal disturbance
Chocolate and Endorphins
Consuming chocolate in moderation offers mood booster effects. The brain is known to contain different chemicals called endorphins, these chemicals regulate the mood. Abnormalities in signalling of endorphins like serotonin can eventually lead to reduced mood or depression. By boosting serotonin levels in the brain, the mood will be elevated. Dark chocolate can promote the production of serotonin the brain. Although eating just chocolate may not replace medication for the treatment of depression, eating chocolate in moderation along with other natural antidepressant supplement, exercises or diet can be very effective in elevating mood.
Aside from offering mood booster effects, dark chocolate also contain antioxidants as well. Antioxidants are known to function as protective chemical for the body cells, averting oxidative damage. When free radicals are exposed to cells, they can interact with cellular membranes, proteins and DNA, which can lead to defect in one’s cells which can increase the risk of having diseases like cancer. Antioxidants found in dark chocolate neutralize free radicals and prevents cellular damage. Dark chocolate’s antioxidants are known as “polyphenols,” and are quite similar to the useful chemicals that are found in tea and red wine. By consuming foods that are rich in polyphenols like dark chocolate, your body will be provided with the chemicals that are required to help in fighting disease and cellular damage.