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A new study looks at chocolate cravings

When it comes to chocolate, there are two types of people: cravers and noncravers. It is interesting to note this because, unlike the vast majority of foodstuffs, people feel very strongly about their love of chocolate and often seem to find it to be "incredible" that not everyone loves the stuff.

Those who crave it experience an unusual reaction just from looking at it. A new study shows that simply looking at chocolate can activate the pleasure centers in a brain of a chocolate-lover. In fact, the part of the brain that is involved in drug addiction, the ventral striatum, turned on in response to the images, though noncravers did not have any activity in this part of the brain. Not surprisingly, when the viewing was combined with a taste of chocolate, their reaction (within the pleasure centers of the brain) was very strong. Noncravers also did not report that tasting the chocolate was as pleasant as the cravers did.

No on yet seems to have any idea as to why some crave chocolate and others don't, but some scientists say that the results of this study, indicating a clear desire-reward reaction to chocolate, could help "people change their diets or control cravings" for chocolate and possibly other foods. But when it comes to chocolate, who would want to?

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Filed Under: Science, Ingredients
Tags: brain, chocolate, chocolates, crave, cravers, craving, drug, drugs, food, pleasure, pleasure center, science, study

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

emily

10-18-2006 @3:53PM emily said... i think this is interesting, i am a total craver, chocolate is a must for me! i cant beleive any one would not like chocolate
Reply

Kiwi Carlisle

10-18-2006 @3:56PM Kiwi Carlisle said... I managed to retool my chocolate cravings some years ago. I only crave GOOD chocolate now. That's right, GOOD chocolate. I can walk by an entire supermarket aisle of Hershey's and even Dove bars, but get me in the vicinity of a Lindt bar or one of really good small-batch American-made dark chocolates? I'm a goner!
Reply

Darcy

10-19-2006 @3:47AM Darcy said... i don't go crazy for chocolate. gasps all around, hmm?
Reply

3 Comments / 1 Pages

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