What makes chocolate so addictive?

Question

What makes chocolate so addictive?

Answer 1

their is a chemical that is similar to the "love" hormone. Who doesn't want the love feeling?

Answer 2

The multi-million pound advertising industry behind carefully and cleverly marketed chocolate instills a 'hook' in us as they know how to associate different chocolates with different emotions and desires tricking the brain into believing that one needs the chocolate to get those desires - such as comfort, sexiness, satisfaction, energy (when fruit and veg are better) etc etc - all on a subconscious level. It is also great satisfaction for sugar addicts which many people are to some degree. The chocolate industry is already hooking youngsters by providing sports kits in exchange for proof of purchase of their product. There are some healthy ingredients in chocolate but these are heavily drowned by all the bad stuff.

Answer 3

"One of the most pleasant effects of eating chocolate is the "good feeling" that many people experience after indulging. Chocolate contains more than 300 known chemicals. Scientists have been working on isolating specific chemicals and chemical combinations which may explain some of the pleasurable effects of consuming chocolate.
Caffeine is the most well known of these chemical ingredients, and while it's present in chocolate, it can only be found in small quantities. Theobromine, a weak stimulant, is also present, in slightly higher amounts. The combination of these two chemicals (and possibly others) may provide the "lift" that chocolate eaters experience.

Phenylethylamine is also found in chocolate. It's related to amphetamines, which are strong stimulants. All of these stimulants increase the activity of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) in parts of the brain that control our ability to pay attention and stay alert."

Answer 4

Chocolate contains approximately 380 known chemicals, so it's no wonder it's difficult to figure out why chocolate is such a favorite treat. And who's to say that it's only one or two things in chocolate that cause us to feel happy? Many of the chemicals in chocolate are found in other foods, yet we don't buy heart-shaped bananas to show that special someone that we care for them. It may be a unique chemical combination that gives chocolate its edge over vanilla, berry, and caramel.

There's even a name for someone who craves chocolate: a chocoholic. It's almost an uncontrollable urge.

I love chocs! :))

Answer 5

The chemicals within chocolate are addictive not the actual chocolate.

Answer 6

Eating chocolate releases a type of chemical in your brain. It triggers a dopamine release in your brain's reinforcement system, which is an effect, similar to that of opium, but legal.

Serotonin, phenethylamine, and other chemicals also found in chocolate. This can act as mild sexual stimulant.
Thus you keep wanting to have more chocolate, though it's not really an actual addiction.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 7

I think I am addicted to chocolate because, I eat it when I have a head ache and when I want to spoil myself, so my brain knows chocolate as a treat, somthing that makes me happy.
But on the other hand, I am addicted to jalapeno peppers and I seen on tv its because they had a natural morphine in them.

Answer 8

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tree Theobroma cacao. Theobroma is Greek for 'food of the gods'. The Aztecs discovered that by crushing the beans into a paste and adding spices, they could make a refreshing and nourishing drink. n the 1800s, solid chocolate became popular, with the invention of moulding processes. Mechanical grinders crushed cocoa beans to a fine powder that could be heated and poured into moulds, forming shapes as it cooled. Rudolphe Lindt of Switzerland started adding extra cocoa butter during chocolate manufacture, to make it smoother and glossier. Cocoa butter melts at around 97°F, which is human body temperature. That's why chocolate melts in the mouth.

All modern commercial chocolate products contain substantial amounts of sugar, a fact which may partly explain chocolate's supposed addictive properties. Like other sweet food, chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, natural body hormones that generate feelings of pleasure and well-being.

General sweetness aside, there are various chemical elements specific to chocolate that may help to stimulate cravings. In fact, chocolate contains over 300 chemicals and it is not known how all of these affect humans.

Many women report particular chocolate cravings when pre-menstrual. This is possibly because chocolate contains magnesium, a shortage of which can exacerbate pre-menstrual tension. Similar cravings during pregnancy could indicate mild anaemia, which chocolate's iron content may help to cure.
Central nervous stimulants such as caffeine are also present in small amounts, and this has a mild effect on alertness as we know from drinking coffee. Another mild stimulant present in chocolate is theobromine, which also serves to relax the smooth muscles in the linings of the lung.

Chocolate also makes us feel good by reacting with our brains neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers of the brain. They work by transporting electrical signals between nerve cells. These signals cause changes in the sensations and emotions that we experience. Chocolate contains a natural 'love drug'. Tryptophan is a chemical that the brain uses to make a neurotransmitter called serotonin. High levels of serotonin can produce feelings of elation, even ecstasy - hence the name of the designer drug that also works by increasing serotonin levels.

While tryptophan could be considered 'chocolate's ecstasy', another chemical called phenylethylamine has earned the nickname 'chocolate amphetamine.' High levels of this neurotransmitter help promote feelings of attraction, excitement, giddiness and apprehension. Phenylethylamine works by stimulating the brain's pleasure centres and reaches peak levels during orgasm.

The same is true of anandamide, the current favourite candidate for a psychoactive chocolate ingredient. Anandamide is a neurotransmitter that targets the same brain structures as THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. But to make a substantial impact on the brain's own natural anandamide levels, experts estimate you would need to eat several kilos of chocolate! Chocolate seems to work more indirectly to produce its 'high'. As well as anandamide itself, chocolate contains two chemicals known to slow the breakdown of anandamide. Chocolate might therefore work by prolonging the action of this natural stimulant in the brain.

This type of effect is a possible scenario for the development of a physical dependency on chocolate. Current studies of psychoactive drugs show that addiction is associated with the formation and reinforcement of unusual neurotransmitter pathways in the brain. So it's just possible that, with every binge, your brain is being gradually 'rewired' in order to make you love chocolate more and more!

Answer 9

It releases dopamine in your brain kinda like drugs or anything you like to do, thats what makes it good, but the chemicals in it probably make it addictive.

Answer 10

sugar, caffeine, theobromine, anadamide, tryptophan, phenylethylamine are all addictive chemicals. chocolate has been linked with the release of serototin and dopamine, which produce feelings of pleasure

Answer 11

there are properties in the cocoa bean that releases some chemical in the brain...or something like that....I don't know...I'd have to google it. But I do know that chocolate is my favorite food!...
"I'd rather be in chocolate,
than love!"