Insights & Discussion
Cinnamon, ginger, and mint enhanced chocolates effectively reduce menstrual pain and improve blood iron levels without increasing body weight or negatively affecting cholesterol.
The methodology of the study involved a sample of 48 female student volunteers, aged 18-25, from Mansoura University who were experiencing dysmenorrhea. These volunteers were divided into eight groups of six and each group was given a different type of chocolate: regular chocolate, chocolate without herbal powder, chocolate with cinnamon powder, chocolate with cinnamon oil, chocolate with ginger powder, chocolate with ginger oil, chocolate with mint powder, and chocolate with mint oil.
Discussion of the results demonstrated that the consumption of chocolates supplemented with cinnamon, ginger, and mint powders and their respective essential oils led to a significant improvement in participants' hemoglobin scores compared to a control group which consumed normal chocolate. Furthermore, it was found that these chocolates had a positive influence on serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein scores. Importantly, chocolate consumption did not lead to an increase in the participants' body mass index, proving that these chocolate variants could reduce menstrual pain and lift blood iron levels without instigating weight gain or having adverse effects on cholesterol levels.
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The combination of dark chocolate with herbs could be one of the therapies for period pain.
2023 Journal of Tropical Pharmacy and Chemistry Effect of Combination of Dark Chocolate and Herbal Ingredients for Dysmenorrhea in Late Adolescents Azizah RNP, Anggreini P, Prasetya F
Randomised Controlled Trial Dark Chocolate Ginger Honey
This test was conducted on 30 respondents who were divided into three groups, namely the positive control group (K), dark chocolate (C), and a combination of dark chocolate with herbs (C+H). Dark chocolate was combined with herbal ingredients consisting of turmeric, red ginger, moringa, sambiloto extract, and honey as a beverage 250 mL.
The study is quantitative research with quasi-experimental method. Pain measurement using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) sheet was given before and 2 hours after treatment. The data was analyzed using paired t-test. State the results of the values obtained the combination of dark chocolate and herbs showed a significant reduction in pain before and after treatment (p<0.05).
Dark chocolate decreases the severity of menstrual pain in female hospital employees.
2023 Bioscientia Medicina : Journal of Biomedicine and Translational Research The Effect of Giving Dark Chocolate on Reducing Menstrual Pain in Primary Dysmenorrhoea in Employees of Cabangbungin General Hospital, Bekasi Regency in 2023 Sa’idah SN, Maulida Lathifah , Evita Anindya Bestari
Randomised Controlled Trial Dark Chocolate Period Pain
The researcher undertook an experimental study with 32 female employees of the Cabangbungin General Hospital, Bekasi Regency, as participants. After being selected, these subjects were systematically analyzed in both singular and joint approaches using SPSS version 25.
The results supported the study's initial hypothesis that dark chocolate can alleviate menstrual pain. The statistical test results used confirm a significant effect of dark chocolate on dysmenorrhea, demonstrating a fundamental link between the consumption of dark chocolate and the easing of menstrual pain in subjects.
Both dark chocolate and music medicine significantly reduced menstrual pain and anxiety in young women with period pain.
2022 European Journal of Integrative Medicine The effect of dark chocolate and music on pain and anxiety in young women with primary dysmenorrhea: Randomized controlled trial Karakuş Selçuk A, Baysal E
Randomised Controlled Trial Dark Chocolate Music Period Pain
Mean menstrual pain intensity and mean anxiety level in the dark chocolate and music group decreased significantly after the intervention. No significant difference was observed in the control group. The difference between menstrual pain intensity and anxiety levels of the groups was tested by analysis of variance, and the standardized effect size calculated at 95% confidence level, and α = 0.05 was 0.35 and 0.42, respectively.
Dark chocolate exerts prebiotic effects and may improve negative emotional states via the gut-brain axis.
2022 The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry Consumption of 85% cocoa dark chocolate improves mood in association with gut microbial changes in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial Shin JH, Kim CS, Cha L, Kim S, Lee S, Chae S, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Dark Chocolate Gut Microbiota Mental Health
To assess the association between the mood-altering effects of dark chocolate and the gut microbiota, we performed fecal 16S rRNA sequencing analysis for the DC85 and CON groups. Gut microbial diversity was significantly higher in DC85 than CON (P<.05). Blautia obeum levels were significantly elevated and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii levels were reduced in DC85 compared to CON (P<.05). Furthermore, we found that the observed changes in negative affect scores were negatively correlated with diversity and relative abundance of Blautia obeum (P<.05).
In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, cinnamon reduced insulin resistance and testosterone levels similar to metformin, and ginger decreased follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones.
2022 Frontiers in Nutrition A comparison of the effects of cinnamon, ginger, and metformin consumption on metabolic health, anthropometric indices, and sexual hormone levels in women with poly cystic ovary syndrome: A randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled clinical trial Dastgheib M, Barati-Boldaji R, Bahrampour N, Taheri R, Borghei M, Amooee S, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Ceylon Cinnamon Cinnamon FSH
In the methodology of the study, 100 women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome were divided into four groups. Each group received a different treatment: cinnamon, ginger, metformin, or placebo. The dosage for these treatments was 500 mg, three times a day, administered over a period of 8 weeks. The participants' sex hormones, weight revelations, along with glycemic and lipid markers were monitored before and after this period. Several participants were disqualified because of unspecified factors, resulting in a final sample size of 83.
In terms of results, all groups saw a decrease in weight and body mass index. The metformin and cinnamon groups specifically had notably decreases in their insulin resistance, meaning that these treatments were effective in improving metabolic health. Additionally, the ginger group experienced a reduction in follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels unlike the other groups. Testosterone levels were lowered in the metformin and cinnamon groups, but no significant changes in dehydroepiandrosterone were observed in any of the groups. These results indicate the potential use of cinnamon and ginger as alternative treatments in managing polycystic ovary syndrome.
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