Scientists have found that eating dark chocolate appears to lower the risk of depression by four fold. While 7.6 percent of the 13,000 people surveyed reported depressive symptoms, just 1.5 percent of the chocolate eaters did. The study also found that the people who consumed the most of any chocolate were also 57 percent less likely to report depressive symptoms.
The study is the first to examine the association with depression according to the type of chocolate consumed. The team assessed data from 13,626 adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
A range of other factors including height, weight, marital status, education, household income, physical activity, smoking and chronic(慢性的) health problems were also taken into account to ensure the study only measured chocolate's effect on depressive symptoms.
After adjusting for these factors, it was found that individuals who reported eating any dark chocolate in two 24-hour periods had 70 percent lower odds of reporting clinically relevant depressive symptoms in the previous two weeks than those who reported not eating chocolate at all.
Chocolate contains a number of psychoactive ingredients(精神活性成分) which produce a feeling of euphoria(兴奋感) similar to that of cannabinoid(大麻素)，found in cannabis. It also contains phenylethylamine(苯基乙胺), which is believed to be important for regulating people's moods.
However British scientists urged caution about the findings, suggesting that the decision to eat dark chocolate could be linked to other health factors. For example people who choose dark chocolate may be more health conscious in general, which is known to protect against depression.
Depressed people are also more likely to crave more sugary fatty foods and so could be less likely to pick a dark alternative when choosing chocolate.
Sichuan cuisine(菜肴) is one of the eight major cuisines of China. The cuisine features a wide range of materials, different cooking techniques and numerous tastes. With a rich variety of strong flavours, Sichuan food is famous for its countless dishes with peppery(胡椒味的), chili(辣椒) flavours, and best known for being spicy-hot. ，then you are probably not eating the real Sichuan cuisine. Chili peppers and prickly ash(花椒) are used in many dishes, giving it a typically spicy taste. . Thanks to the development of global trade, chili peppers were spread to Sichuan by Americans in the 18th century, which greatly influence the flavour of Sichuan dishes.
, Hunan cuisine is famous for its hot and spicy taste. People may be confused that what the difference is between Hunan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine, for the characteristics of them are hot and spicy. Hunan cuisine mainly originates from Dongting Lake area and western Hunan mountain area. Water food and poultry are main cooking materials of Dongting Lake area cuisine, which tastes salty and spicy. However, many kinds of meat are the main cooking materials of western Hunan mountain area cuisines. .
The cooking skills employed in the Hunan cuisine reached a high standard as early as the Western Han Dynasty, giving it a history of more than 2，100 years. Hunan is located in southeastern China along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It contains rivers, lakes, mountains, rolling hills, plains, and pools. .
A. If you find Sichuan dishes too mild
B. If you are not fond of Sichuan dishes
C. The tastes are salted fresh spicy and sour
D. As one of the eight major cuisines of China
E. It often leaves a slight numb(麻木的) feeling in the mouth
F. Many people want to know the differences between Sichuan cuisine and Hunan cuisine
G. Making full use of these rich resources, local people created a wide variety of dishes
