by Samara Alpern
Daily Lobo columnist
Chocolate has always been associated with sex. Some scientists have suggested that chocolate acts like a drug as well, with both inebriating and positive health effects. Chocolate contains more than 300 chemicals. Plenty more research needs to be done before we have a clear idea about how chocolate works on the body, but a few things have been examined.
Let's start with sex. The Aztecs were the first to put chocolate and sex together - they considered chocolate to be a potent aphrodisiac. The Aztec goddess of sexual love was affiliated with chocolate, as was Quetzalcoatl, the god believed to be the giver of chocolate. He was worshipped with sacrifices involving human hearts and genitals.
Five hundred years later, the tradition of sacrificing hearts and genitals for chocolate continues in its own insipid way on Valentine's Day.
Phenethylamine is the chemical some people credit with giving you the feeling of "being in love" - whatever that means. As far as I know, that feeling can range from ecstasy to purgatory. Phenethylamine is amphetamine-like in structure. This chemical may kick off the production of dopamine and norepinephrine, and that means thrills for the reward circuits in your nervous system.
Some scientists think the purported effects of phenethylamine in chocolate are bunk, because the chemical is quickly metabolized. The nay-sayers believe when phenethylamine is eaten, the psychoactive chemical never gets to the brain intact.
But what about the fact that chocolate supposedly affects men and women differently? A stimulant that affects women more than men may indeed have sexy potentials.
Women are supposed to crave chocolate more than men, specifically at different times in the menstrual cycle. Of all the different claims about the health effects of chocolate, scientists have chosen to explore this point at some length. Evidence is mixed, however. Some studies suggest that women's relationship with chocolate is purely cultural, while others suggest there is indeed something physiological at work. In the end, I'd depend on more than a Snickers to score.
Enough about sex, let's talk about drugs. Chocolate contains anandamide, a chemical which binds to the same receptors in the brain as the active agent in marijuana. Just like with phenethylamine, this chemical interaction may trigger the nervous system's reward circuit. While eating a box of chocolates may not be the same as smoking a joint, some scientists say anandamides produce a mild euphoria.
Like all other areas of science, there's controversy here as well. Chocolate is widely consumed, but few have related the pleasure of eating chocolate with the sensation of being high on marijuana. Just because anandamides bind to cannabinoid receptors doesn't mean they produce cannabis bliss. Even if anandamides do work like THC, there's also the question of whether the levels of anandamides are significant enough in chocolate to produce that high.
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The most intoxicating combination in the most common chocolate may be that of fat and sugar, a winning mix that enterprises like Dairy Queen caught onto long ago. Add to that the variety of stimulants contained in chocolate, and you have a success story like Starbucks.
It may not get you laid, and it may not get you high, but that doesn't mean chocolate is just a tasty pleasure. Antioxidants, the chemicals which neutralize destructive free radicals, are present in chocolate in high enough amounts to affect some health improvements. A couple of years ago, chocolate was shown to reduce blood pressure. Milk, however, interfered with this activity, so milk chocolate, or even chocolate consumed with milk, isn't useful in this regard.
Besides being rich in mythology, flavor and antioxidants, chocolate is also rich in fat and calories. A single candy bar, even the fancy 70 percent cocoa kind, can contain as much as 300 calories or more. Be moderate with chocolate consumption, and if you do supplement your diet with chocolate to reap the health benefits, make sure you keep your calorie count in check.
