Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDark Chocolate Takes the Gold Medal When It Comes to Reducing Stress—This Is WhyHow Do Other Types of Chocolate Compare?But, How Much Chocolate Can I Eat?Try a Chocolate Meditation (Yes, That’s a Thing)

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Dark Chocolate Takes the Gold Medal When It Comes to Reducing Stress—This Is Why

How Do Other Types of Chocolate Compare?

But, How Much Chocolate Can I Eat?

Try a Chocolate Meditation (Yes, That’s a Thing)

Close

Dark chocolate has been connected with some positive physical health benefits. This sweet treat has been linked with better cardiovascular health, for instance, thanks to the way it improves blood pressure and helps protect blood vessels.

Yet, there is additional good news for chocolate lovers everywhere, as dark chocolate has also been found to helprelieve stress! Yay!

At a GlanceIf you’re a fan of chocolate, feel free to grab that brownie or chocolate chip cookie when you’re feeling stressed because doing so may really help. Eating chocolate affects our cortisol levels which, in turn, influences our body’s stress response.

At a Glance

If you’re a fan of chocolate, feel free to grab that brownie or chocolate chip cookie when you’re feeling stressed because doing so may really help. Eating chocolate affects our cortisol levels which, in turn, influences our body’s stress response.

Cortisolis the body’s primary stress hormone. Among its many functions, it prepares your body to respond when faced you’re with a stressful situation. Although this is good if your cortisol levels stay high due tochronic stressbecause it allows you to remain alert and energetic,too much can actually harm your health. Fortunately, chocolate can come in and save the day—and our taste buds!

Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate Affect Stress Levels Differently

Not only do dark and white chocolate taste completely different, but they impact us differently too.

One study involving dark chocolate and stress looked at 65 healthy men. Thirty-one of them consumed 50 grams of dark chocolate and 34 consumed the same amount of white chocolate that was colored to look like dark chocolate but without the flavonoids.

FlavonoidsFlavonoids are compounds found in plants that have been associated with a number of health benefits, such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases (likeAlzheimer’s diseaseor Parkinson’s), type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are compounds found in plants that have been associated with a number of health benefits, such as a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases (likeAlzheimer’s diseaseor Parkinson’s), type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Two hours after eating the dark or “fake” dark chocolate (aka the white chocolate), the men engaged in two stressful situations: a mock job interview and completing a math problem in front of an audience. Their stress hormones were measured before and after these stressors to see if the chocolate had an effect.

While all of the men’s bodies reacted to the stress, the ones eating dark chocolate released less cortisol. They also released smaller amounts ofepinephrine(adrenaline), another stress hormone. In simple terms, this means that their body reacted less severely to the stress.

Dark Chocolate Is BestSo, when you’re feeling stressed, it’s better to for dark chocolate instead of white chocolate. We know it’s a little bitter, but reducing stress might be worth the bitterness.

Dark Chocolate Is Best

So, when you’re feeling stressed, it’s better to for dark chocolate instead of white chocolate. We know it’s a little bitter, but reducing stress might be worth the bitterness.

The study mentioned above suggests that dark chocolate is better than white chocolate forrelieving stress. But what about other types of chocolate? Can they also help the body better respond to stress? According to one study, the answer may be yes.

This particular involved 60 people—both men and women—who ate either 40 grams of dark, white, or milk chocolate every day for two weeks. Again (like the previous study we talked about, you remember, the one with the fake dark chocolate), eating white chocolate did not appear to alleviate stress. However, milk chocolate seemed to help.

Milk Chocolate Is a Good Choice Too

The thing to remember when choosing a chocolate type for lower stress is that dark chocolate tends to offer more health benefits than other types because it is the least processed. It is also often lower in fat and sugar.

If you want to try dark chocolate as a stress reliever, the studies above used a daily “dose” of about 1.5 ounces.

Additionally, the higher the cocoa content, the better it is for your health, so aim for dark chocolate with 80% cocoa or higher.However, the more cocoa, the more bitter the chocolate. So, try a few and see how high you can go without sacrificing taste.

Try eating chocolate mindfully. So, when you grab a piece of dark chocolate or something that contains dark chocolate, really enjoy the experience of eating it. Don’t do anything else when you’re consuming the chocolate. Don’t scroll social media and don’t try and talk with your mouth full either!

Instead, really savor the taste of it in your mouth. Relish the flavor and the texture. Take stock of what it smells like and immerse yourself in the experience. This is what some people refer to as a chocolatemeditation. While you’re examining each aspect of the chocolate-tasting experience, practicedeep breathing exercises.

The Experts Agree: What You Eat Can Directly Impact Stress and Anxiety

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kerimi A, Williamson G.The cardiovascular benefits of dark chocolate.Vascular Pharmacol. 2015;71:11-15. doi:10.1016/j.vph.2015.05.011Sunni A, Latif R.Effects of chocolate intake on perceived stress: A controlled clinical study.Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2014;8(4):393-401.Cleveland Clinic.Cortisol.Wirtz P, von Kanel R, Meister R, et al.Dark chocolate intake buffers stress reactivity in humans.JACC Journals. 2014;63(21):2297-2299. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.02.580Lu M, Xiao Z, Zhang H.Where do health benefits of flavonoids come from? Insights from flavonoid targets and their evolutionary history.Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2013;434(4):701-4. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.04.035Glicerina V, Balestra F, Dalla Rosa M, Romani S.Microstructural and rheological characteristics of dark, milk and white chocolate: a comparative study.J Food Engineer. 2016;169:165-171. doi:10.1016/j/jfoodeng.2015.08.011Vertuani S, Scalambra E, Vittorio T, et al.Evaluation of antiradical activity of different cocoa and chocolate products: Relation with lipid and protein composition.J Med Food. 2014;17(4):512-6. doi:10.1089/jmf.2013.0110

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kerimi A, Williamson G.The cardiovascular benefits of dark chocolate.Vascular Pharmacol. 2015;71:11-15. doi:10.1016/j.vph.2015.05.011Sunni A, Latif R.Effects of chocolate intake on perceived stress: A controlled clinical study.Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2014;8(4):393-401.Cleveland Clinic.Cortisol.Wirtz P, von Kanel R, Meister R, et al.Dark chocolate intake buffers stress reactivity in humans.JACC Journals. 2014;63(21):2297-2299. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.02.580Lu M, Xiao Z, Zhang H.Where do health benefits of flavonoids come from? Insights from flavonoid targets and their evolutionary history.Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2013;434(4):701-4. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.04.035Glicerina V, Balestra F, Dalla Rosa M, Romani S.Microstructural and rheological characteristics of dark, milk and white chocolate: a comparative study.J Food Engineer. 2016;169:165-171. doi:10.1016/j/jfoodeng.2015.08.011Vertuani S, Scalambra E, Vittorio T, et al.Evaluation of antiradical activity of different cocoa and chocolate products: Relation with lipid and protein composition.J Med Food. 2014;17(4):512-6. doi:10.1089/jmf.2013.0110

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Kerimi A, Williamson G.The cardiovascular benefits of dark chocolate.Vascular Pharmacol. 2015;71:11-15. doi:10.1016/j.vph.2015.05.011Sunni A, Latif R.Effects of chocolate intake on perceived stress: A controlled clinical study.Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2014;8(4):393-401.Cleveland Clinic.Cortisol.Wirtz P, von Kanel R, Meister R, et al.Dark chocolate intake buffers stress reactivity in humans.JACC Journals. 2014;63(21):2297-2299. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.02.580Lu M, Xiao Z, Zhang H.Where do health benefits of flavonoids come from? Insights from flavonoid targets and their evolutionary history.Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2013;434(4):701-4. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.04.035Glicerina V, Balestra F, Dalla Rosa M, Romani S.Microstructural and rheological characteristics of dark, milk and white chocolate: a comparative study.J Food Engineer. 2016;169:165-171. doi:10.1016/j/jfoodeng.2015.08.011Vertuani S, Scalambra E, Vittorio T, et al.Evaluation of antiradical activity of different cocoa and chocolate products: Relation with lipid and protein composition.J Med Food. 2014;17(4):512-6. doi:10.1089/jmf.2013.0110

Kerimi A, Williamson G.The cardiovascular benefits of dark chocolate.Vascular Pharmacol. 2015;71:11-15. doi:10.1016/j.vph.2015.05.011

Sunni A, Latif R.Effects of chocolate intake on perceived stress: A controlled clinical study.Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2014;8(4):393-401.

Cleveland Clinic.Cortisol.

Wirtz P, von Kanel R, Meister R, et al.Dark chocolate intake buffers stress reactivity in humans.JACC Journals. 2014;63(21):2297-2299. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2014.02.580

Lu M, Xiao Z, Zhang H.Where do health benefits of flavonoids come from? Insights from flavonoid targets and their evolutionary history.Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2013;434(4):701-4. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.04.035

Glicerina V, Balestra F, Dalla Rosa M, Romani S.Microstructural and rheological characteristics of dark, milk and white chocolate: a comparative study.J Food Engineer. 2016;169:165-171. doi:10.1016/j/jfoodeng.2015.08.011

Vertuani S, Scalambra E, Vittorio T, et al.Evaluation of antiradical activity of different cocoa and chocolate products: Relation with lipid and protein composition.J Med Food. 2014;17(4):512-6. doi:10.1089/jmf.2013.0110

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