Is Chocolate Physiologically or Psychologically Addictive? Essay

Is Chocolate Physiologically or Psychologically Addictive? Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical tree, Theobroma cacao. Theobroma is the Greek term for 'food of the gods.' In Aztec society chocolate was a food of the gods, reserved for priests, warriors and nobility. The Aztecs used cacao beans to make a hot, frothy and bitter beverage called chocolatl. Chocolatl was a sacred concoction that was associated with fertility and wisdom. It was also thought to have stimulating and restorative properties. The bitter drink was first introduced to Europe in 1528. However, it was not until 1876 that milk, cocoa powder and cocoa butter were combined to form what we now know as chocolate (1). Today, production and consumption of chocolate is a global affair. People crave chocolate more than any other food. In the United States, the typical person eats 11.5 pounds of chocolate annually (2). What makes chocolate the food that is craved more often than any other food? Yes, chocolate tastes good, has a beautiful texture and melts in your mouth, but there must be more to chocolate than what meets the lips. In fact, chocolate is made up of chemicals associated with mood, emotion and addiction. Many people eat chocolate as a comfort food when they are depressed or stressed. The question is, do people crave chocolate because their bodies and brains are addicted to the chemicals in it or do people crave chocolate because they have a psychological attachment to it? Substances found in chocolate, such as phenylethylamine, theobromine, anandamide and tryptophan trigger mood enhancing chemicals and neurotransmitters to be released in the brain. Phenylethylamine is a chemical found in the body that is similar to amphetamine. It he... ...es 1)CHOCOLATE, on the Chocolate web site http://www.chocolate.org/ 2)Prescription-strength chocolate, on the Science News Online-Food for Thought web site http://www.science.org/sn_arch/10_12_96/food.htm 3)Chocolate and Anxiety, on the About the Human Internet web site http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/shfitness/a/chocolate.htm 4)Theobromine: Chocolate's Caffeine Cousin, on the About the Human Internet web site http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/?once=true& 5)Chocolate "addiction" A Fiction?, on the Personal MC web site http://www.personalmd.com/news/a1998121611.shtml 6)Health and Happiness-does chocolate have it all wrapped up?, on the IFIS Hot Topic web site http://www.ifis.co.uk/index.html 7)Chocolate: A heart-healthy confection?, on the CNN web site http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/02/chocolate.wmd/