A clinical trial of the effects of cocoa rich chocolate on depression and sleep quality in menopausal women.

Publisher: Nature Publishing Group Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101563288 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2045-2322 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 20452322 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Sci Rep Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : Nature Publishing Group, copyright 2011-

Chocolate* ; Depression* ; Menopause*/physiology ; Sleep Quality* ; Cacao*; Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged

In this triple-blind, randomized clinical trial, 60 menopausal women between the ages of 45 and 65 were randomized to receive 78% dark chocolate (12 g/day) or milk chocolate (12 g/day) for eight weeks. The primary outcome was depression scores. Secondary outcomes included sleep quality and anthropometric indices. ANCOVA with baseline adjustment showed that the mean depression score after the intervention in the group receiving dark chocolate was significantly reduced compared to the milk chocolate group (mean difference: -2.3; 95% confidence interval: -3.9 to -0.8; p = 0.003; Cohen's d = -0.54). However, no statistically significant difference in the overall sleep quality score and its subdomains was observed between the two groups after the intervention (p > 0.05). Furthermore, after the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of anthropometric indices, including weight (p = 0.075), BMI (p = 0.137), waist circumference (p = 0.463), and hip circumference (p = 0.114). The study suggests that consuming 78% dark chocolate for eight weeks may contribute to improvements in depression scores, but it does not appear to improve sleep quality or anthropometric indices.Trial registration: IRCT20220926056046N1; December 2022.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

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70312 Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

Keywords: Chocolate; Depression; Menopause; Polyphenols; Randomized Controlled Trial

Date Created: 20241013 Date Completed: 20241013 Latest Revision: 20241108

20250114

PMC11471752

10.1038/s41598-024-74804-8

39397049