"Dark chocolate reduced the urinary excretion of the stress hormone cortisol and catecholamines and partially normalized stress-related differences in energy metabolism.... The study provides strong evidence that a daily consumption of 40g of dark chocolate during a period of 2 weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of free living and healthy human subjects, as per variation of both host and gut microbial metabolism."

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/ar.....ary-excretion-stress

No wonder I instinctively reach out for dark chocolate under stressful situations  

I am sure it must do something to the gut that has this effect.

Yes, I think so. The study mentions "methylamines, p-cresol sulfate, hippurate" as the gut microbial activities that experienced positive effects in homeostasis. Well, whatever those are (too scientific for me ), I LOVE chocolate with all my guts  

Quoted from balletomane

Well, whatever those are (too scientific for me ), I LOVE chocolate with all my guts  

Me too!  I'm glad that it is now a superfood on my swami (but not the added sugar of course!  )

I just ate a small piece of Dr. D.'s choc.-cherry bar, and my stomach loves it! An inch of it is a big serving for me!

Quoted from balletomane

Well, whatever those are (too scientific for me ), I LOVE chocolate with all my guts  

Too funny! I do too but only get it as a neutral and this Explorer liver finds it difficult (talking 100% organic cacao powder).
I get carob as a diamond but there is absolutely no comparing the two!

Quoted from balletomane

"Dark chocolate reduced the urinary excretion of the stress hormone cortisol and catecholamines and partially normalized stress-related differences in energy metabolism.... The study provides strong evidence that a daily consumption of 40g of dark chocolate during a period of 2 weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of free living and healthy human subjects, as per variation of both host and gut microbial metabolism."

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/ar.....ary-excretion-stress

No wonder I instinctively reach out for dark chocolate under stressful situations  

The title of this thread is 'Study Shows Dark Chocolate Reduces Stress'.
But that's not what the study shows.

Stresses are events; they are not metabolic reactions to Stress.
When your doctor speaks to you of stress-reduction, s/he is not counseling you to, for instance, eat more dark chocolate.

Quoted from san j

Stresses are events; they are not metabolic reactions to Stress.

Yes, san j. I have admitted that I'm not very scientific I guess my headline is an oversimplification. Nonetheless, if our metabolic reaction to stress is reduced, our feeling of stress can also be reduced, no? That's why Catechol and Cortiguard from Dr. D. help us reduce the feeling of stress. I think they work on the metabolic "waste" of how our body reacts to stress, flushing the accumulated catecholamine and cortisol, respectively, out of our brain, right? Dark chocolate, it seems, does a similar thing.