Dark Chocolate, Keep Stress At Bay

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A small bar of dark chocolate a day can keep stress at bay, according to a small study by international researchers. German and Swiss researchers have found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced the levels of stress hormones in highly stressed people.

Dark chocolate, which is rich in a variety of bioactive compounds, also partially corrected other imbalances in the body related to stress, making it a natural way to ease stress.

"The study provides strong evidence that a daily consumption of 40 grams (1.4 ounces) during a period of two weeks is sufficient to modify the metabolism of healthy human volunteers," wrote the researchers led by Sunil Kochhar, from the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The study, published online in ASC's Journal of Proteome Research, comes amid growing scientific evidence that antioxidants and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate may reduce risk factors for heart disease and other illnesses.
The trial was performed on 30 people who were classified as having low or high anxiety. Researchers measured levels of stress hormones in blood and urine samples collected several times a day from the participants in the trial to measure metabolic changes.

The participants snacked on 20 grams of dark chocolate mid-morning and again as an afternoon snack.

The researchers said people with high anxiety traits had a distinct metabolic profile, and changes that occurred from eating dark chocolate showed up clearly after two weeks with reduced stress hormones and other stress-related biochemical markers.

But they said the study was small and further research was necessary -- while nutrition experts were quick to add that chocolate is high in fat and too much can lead to weight issues.

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Gum Chewing May Speed Healing Cesarean

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Chewing low-sugar gum, can help the healing mother's abdomen after a cesarean delivery. Egyptian researchers found that giving them chewing gum to help restore normal bowel function and shorten the time to stay in the hospital.

Like any other surgery, cesarean section also makes the intestines and digestive functions become sluggish for some time that cause gas and constipation.
Chewing gum will help trigger the nervous system response and the release of gastrointestinal hormones that stimulate the activity of the stomach to work, according to Dr. Abd El-Karim Maeboud and colleagues at the Ain Shams University of Cairo.

Research results published in the journal BJOG obstetrics, which involved 200 women who had cesarean section and anesthesia. At random, half of the respondents were given sugarless gum to chew for 15 minutes every two hours after surgery Caesar, while half of the respondents applied the standard treatment that includes getting out of bed and practice walking to encourage bowel moving again.

In general, they found that respondents who chew gum more quickly get back to normal bowel activity. On average they will experience shitting first 21 hours after cesarean section compared to 30 hours on respondents through standard care. They are also faster to leave the hospital only 41 hours after childbirth than 50 hours in women with standard treatment.

Furthermore Abd El Maeboud explained that this research is still premature and needs further research, especially regarding the effects due to differences in anesthesia / or local anesthesia during the Caesarean section. Local anesthesia including epidural blocks and spinal expected to be influenced by the nervous system activation with chewing gum.

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