Also: taking the toys out of kiddie fast food; providing free childcare for women with breast cancer.

When you’re feeling blue, do you have an urge for a bite of chocolate? Well, you’re certainly not alone.

New research, published this week, reveals that people suffering from depressive symptoms tend to eat more chocolate than those in a happier frame of mind.

“Our study confirms long-held suspicions that eating chocolate is something that people do when they are feeling down,” said the paper’s co-author, Beatrice Golomb of the University of California, San Diego’s school of medicine.

The study participants – a total of 931 men and women – were asked how frequently they ate chocolate. The mood of each participant was assessed using a standardized psychological questionnaire. (People taking anti-depressant drugs were excluded from the study.)

Those who showed signs of moderate depression consumed an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate a month, compared with 5.4 servings for individuals relatively free of depressive symptoms, according to the findings published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

And those who appeared to be the grips a major depression gobbled down the most chocolate – 11.8 serving a month. (One serving equalled a small chocolate bar.)

The researchers looked at other dietary patterns, including the consumption of fats, carbohydrates and total calories. Only chocolate seemed to be clearly linked to depressive episodes.

However, the study was not designed to tease out the specific psychological effects of chocolate – if any. “We can’t make any inferences about whether chocolate helps or hurts depression,” Dr. Golomb said in an interview. “All we can say is that, over all, people who have more depressive symptoms eat more chocolate.”

Even so, that didn’t stop the researchers from speculating. In their paper, they suggest several different explanations. For instance, chocolate may be a mild mood booster – so depressed people are naturally drawn to it. Or consuming chocolate may somehow contribute to the mood disorder. One shortcoming of the study is that participants were not asked what type of chocolate they ate. Chocolate ingredients can vary greatly.

It’s also possible that chocolate may act like a double-edged sword – similar to alcohol – “in which there is a short-term benefit and a long-term adverse effect,” Dr. Golomb said. So it may provide depressed individuals with a fleeting lift and then drop them like a rock. Maybe thinking about the effect of the extra calories on the waistline is enough to put some people into a deeper funk.

Toys aren’t us

California has long been a trendsetter when it comes to public-health initiatives. Years ago, it forced the big auto makers to curb engine exhaust, a move that helped reduce air pollution. More recently, it banned the sale of fattening soft drinks in public schools. And now some lawmakers have set their sights on a new target – the toys given away with kids’ meals at fast-food chains.

Municipal politicians in the state’s Silicon Valley have proposed a local law that would prevent restaurants from using toys and other incentives to attract children to foods deemed to be unhealthy. McDonald’s has created a huge demand for its Happy Meals, in part, by including a toy. Other chains have similar marketing schemes.

Under the new rules – which must pass another legislative hurdle before becoming law – restaurants’ giveaways would be restricted to those meals that meet U.S. government nutrition criteria. That means the chow couldn’t exceed limits set on sodium, fat and sugar for children.

“This ordinance levels the playing field,” Ken Yeager, president of Santa Clara County’s Board of Supervisors, told Reuters. “It helps parents make the choices they want for their children without toys and other freebies luring them towards foods that fail to meet basic nutritional standards.”

Relief angels

A volunteer group called the Nanny Angel Network is providing free “relief” childcare for women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. The service is being offered in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa. Women in need of a break can get up to five hours of childcare a week.

The program is currently staffed by 66 professional nannies who are volunteering their own time, said Audrey Guth, the founder of Nanny Angel and president of Diamond Personnel, a nanny placement agency. Ms. Guth came up with the idea for the service after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008.

“It is to relieve some stress on mothers with breast cancer,” said Ms. Guth, who noted that many single moms or recent immigrants lack a support network. Nanny Angel gives moms peace of mind that their children are in good hands while they get some much-needed rest, go to appointments or simply have some time for themselves, she said.

The charity Rethink Breast Cancer is providing funds to run the operation, which includes a part-time co-ordinator who matches women with volunteer nannies. In Toronto, the number to call is 416-730-0025. Outside Toronto, the toll-free number is 1-877-731-8866. The website is nannyangelnetwork.com.

Via www.theglobeandmail.com