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

Elham Abdoli, Elham Rezaie, Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Laleh Payahoo, Elaheh Naseri, Solmaz Ghanbari-Homaie

Journal: Scientific reports 2024;14(1):23971

PMID: 39397049

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Plain Language Summary

Natural menopause refers to the cessation of menstruation due to ovarian follicular function decline without the presence of other physiological or pathological factors. Menopause causes a reduction in oestrogen levels that affects both the body and the brain. Approximately 74 to 80% of women have menopausal symptoms. This study aimed to determine the effect of 78% dark chocolate on depression scores (primary outcome), sleep quality, and anthropometric indices such as weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference (secondary outcomes) among Iranian menopausal women. This research was a parallel, randomised, triple-blind clinical trial which enrolled menopausal women with depression aged between 45 and 65 years of age. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups (1:1 ratio). 78% dark chocolate was utilised for the intervention group, while milk chocolate was used for the control group. Results showed that daily consumption of 10 g of 78% dark chocolate has beneficial effects on mild and moderate depression scores in menopausal women. Authors concluded that their findings can be beneficial in nutritional education related to lifestyle modification for menopausal women, as chocolate consumption is an easy and enjoyable complementary method.

Abstract

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.

Address: Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.; Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.; Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical sciences, Tabriz, Iran.; Nutrition Sciences, Maragheh University of Medical sciences, Maragheh, Iran.; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.; Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. [email protected].

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-74804-8