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Professor John Stein from the Physiology Department of Oxford University said no matter how much chocolate one eats, people are never at risk of being addicted to it. "Although cocoa contains many drugs, no single one of them is present in particularly high concentrations," he said. "The combination may have an effect, but it is subtle, which is why people cannot be addicted to chocolate."
So why do we crave chocolates so much? Chocolate products available in the market these days has substantial amount of sugar, a fact that might explain why we like chocolates so much. Research in New York University have suggest that there is a genetic reason why people crave sugary food. The study was done with two strains of mice, that was bred selectively depending on whether the parents like sweetened or unsweetened water. The research team then located the gene that was different in the two groups of mice and searched for sequence in humans that are similar. Besides the sweetness that draws people to chocolate, as mention there are over 300 chemicals that is present in chocolates and their effect, individually and when combine, is still unknown to us. There are some that we do know about like why women crave for certain chocolates before menstrual. Most probably because chocolate contains high amounts of magnesium, and a shortage of magnesium can worsen pre-menstrual tension. Cravings for chocolates during pregnancy could be a sign of mild anaemia, that the iron content in some chocolates can help cure.
The release of endorphins is triggered by the consumption of chocolate. Endorphins are
classified as one of the opiate peptides, that are responsible for the
"high" produced by opiates, heroin and strenuous exercise. All of these stimulants increase the activity of neurotransmitters in
the part of our brain that control our ability to pay attention and stay
alert.
Emmanuelle diTomaso, who is now a researcher at Harvard, and to Daniel Piomelli, who does research at the Neurosciences Institute has isolated a neurotransmitter, called anandamide, in chocolate. Anandamide is known to be produced in the brain naturally. However to make a impact on the brain, you need to eat several kilos of chocolate. The effect that chocolate has on the brain is more likely to be indirect. Anandamide, like other neurotransmitters, is broken down quickly after it's produced. Piomelli and his team found out that the other chemicals in chocolate may inhibit the natural breakdown of anadamide. In fact, they have identify two of the chemicals that might be the inhibitors. This means that anandamide remains in our body longer to make a bigger impact and make us feel more positive for a longer period of time.
Tryptophan,
present in chocolates, is a chemical that the brain uses to make a
neurotransmitter called serotonin. High levels of serotonin can produce
feelings of elation, even ecstasy.
While
high levels of another chemical called phenylethylamine, which is also a
neurotransmitter, help promote feelings of attraction, excitement, giddiness
and apprehension. Phenylethylamine works by stimulating the brain's pleasure
centers that reaches peak levels during orgasm.
But there are many scientists that are sceptical that chocolate could produce such mood-altering effects. As chemicals like tryptophan and phenylethylamine, which are also found in many other foodstuffs, are only present in chocolate in very small quantities.
Eating chocolate does not cause or worsen acne problems. Two studies, one of them by the Pennsylvania School of Medicine and another by the U.S. Naval Academy, have shown that consuming or not consuming chocolate did not have any significant changes in the acne conditions of the participants of the studies. These results are backed by further research which showed that acne is not primarily linked to diet.
Chocolate has not been proven to cause cavities or tooth decay. There are there are some indications that shows that the cocoa butter in the chocolate coats the teeth and may in fact help protect them by preventing plaque from forming. The sugar in chocolates however does contribute to cavities, but this is no more than the sugar in any other food. What is important is that the person after eating a product that is sweet should rinse or drink a lot of water to keep the mouth free of sugar to prevent cavities from forming.
According to scientists at Japan's Osaka University, the husks of the cocoa beans does contains an antibacterial agent that fights plaque. These husks are usually discarded in chocolate production, but in future they could be added back in to chocolate to make it dental-friendly. However, they also concluded that the antibacterial agent in the cocoa bean husks is not enough to offset tooth decay caused by chocolate's high sugar content, so chocolates will not be going to replace toothpaste any time soon.
Conventional treatment of Gastroesophageal reflux disease includes avoiding stomach acid stimulants, certain drugs and specific foods that include chocolate, and smoking. As chocolate causes the lower part of the esophagus to relax abnormally. This allows the acidic contents of the stomach to reflux into the esophagus, which will then cause heartburn.
Chocolate
contains oxalate and appears to increase the urinary oxalate levels
significantly. Increased dietary oxalate can lead to an
increase in urinary oxalate excretion and increases
the risk of formation of kidney stones. As a result, most doctors agree that kidney
stone formers should reduce their intake of oxalate from food as a way to
reduce urinary oxalate.
What is safe for us is not necessary safe for your pets. Dogs and other domestic animals, like horses, metabolise theobromine more slowly than humans. This could be toxic or even lethal doses to them. As Theobromine affects their hearts, kidneys and central nervous systems.