That sinfully sweet bar of the delicious dessert may be bad for more than just your waistline, a recent study revealed. Eating large quantities of chocolate could also be a sign that you are depressed and this holds true for women as well as men.

Dark chocolate in small quantities is known to be good for us, but overindulgence could not only be bad, it could be sign that you are depressed, say researchers who found that subjects who ate the most chocolate were the most likely to test positive for depression.

binging on chocolateMajor depression sufferers were seen to quaff down 11.8 ounces of chocolate per month whereas those who were not depressed had only about 5.4 ounces.

The way that it works is like this: scientists say that those who are depressed are likely to be trying to unconsciously self medicate by eating chocolate.

This is because chocolate can put you in a better mood and lift your spirits. Chocolate can be comfort food, which is why people may turn to it to find solace.

It is also seen that stress is seen to be associated with chocolate cravings as well as depression. So it could be that when one is feeling stressed, one gets that chocolate craving and hence the fact that depression and excessive chocolate eating go hand in hand.

Source: Examiner