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Chocoholics rumbled
Chocolate is the most widely and frequently craved comfort food, but is it really addictive?
That feeling of euphoria as the sweet treat melts on your tongue could be due to the mood-enhancing effects of serotonin, tryptophan, phenylethylamine, tyramine and cannabinoids found in chocolate.
On the other hand, if you really 'craved' these things, you might equally well find yourself unable to resist pineapple or blue cheese, since these foods contain many of these substances but in far higher concentrations.
Bristol University's Professor Peter Rogers, who gave a talk about chocolate at the British Association Festival of Science, explains: 'A more compelling explanation lies in our ambivalent attitudes towards chocolate - it is highly desired but should be eaten with restraint (nice but naughty). Our unfulfilled desire to eat chocolate, resulting from restraint, is thus experienced as craving, which in turn is attributed to 'addiction''.
Furthermore, most 'chocoholics' prefer milk chocolate or chocolate-covered confectionery - both much weaker sources of cocoa's active ingredients than high quality dark chocolate, small quantities of which may benefit health.
It's much more probable that a liking for chocolate, and its effects on mood, are because of its principal constituents, sugar and fat, and their related orosensory and nutritional effects.
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Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
