Chocolate makes me HIGH!!!

My course mates often ask me why am I always that hyperactive and always laughing like an idiot? I will always make a funny face and tell them "My glucose level too high, ate too much chocolate I guess" After being asked for a few times, I decided to do some research. Does sugar level, chocolate consumpstion for example, make people happy or HIGH (to be more exact) by effecting the brain?

A research was done by some researchers from University of Bath. It suggests that people who eat chocolate regularly are happier than those who do not! Here's how it goes. A group of 900 people were divided into three - one ate a bar of a well-known brand of chocolate a day, another was asked not to eat chocolate, while the third were free to eat chocolate or not, as they liked. The group reported their feelings via a Web-based interactive diary over a week. In the chocolate group, 70 per cent said they felt happy, compared to 35 per cent in the chocolate-deprived group. In the free choice group, 60 per cent felt happy. (This statistic was found in [http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Eating-chocolate-makes-you-happy-1395-1/]

As I'm google-ing MORE about chocolate, I find chocolate consumption has long been associated with enjoyment and pleasure. Popular claims that chocolate has the properties of being a stimulant, relaxant, euphoriant, aphrodisiac, tonic and antidepressant. Besides, it is also commonly claimed that chocolate has the ability to lift spirits, to create "HYPERNESS" and make people feel good. How COOL is that?! Now I guess that pretty much explained why am I always so high. Chocolate from Koko Krunch, Choki-choki, Mars bar, Sneakers......

What suprised me was I discovered that there are over 300 chemicals that compose chocolate have numerous and varied effects on our bodies through the nervous system(Yeek! Affects the mood.). Chocolate and health may seem like an oxymoron. However, chocolate may be a lot better for our health than we ever thought. From different wedsites, it is claimed that there are actually some scientific reasons why chocolate makes us feel good and is good for us.

To begin with, the main factors of sugar, fat, and carbohydrate provide a boost of energy. Then there is chocolate's seductive mouth feel which melts slowly in our mouth(it is because of cocoa butter). Also, chocolate contains theobromine, caffeine, phenylethylamine (PEA), and anandamide that add to its appeal. These chemical substances have a profound effect on the brain and also help to prove(I think so) that chocolate has a definite physiological effect on the body.

Theobromine and caffeine are both stimulants. Phenylethylamine is a chemical that our brain releases when we fall in love. It is also being called the "love drug" (Now I know why people love giving out chocolate to their crushes or lovers). It also acts as an anti-depressant by combining with dopamine that is naturally present in the brain. Anandamide helps to stimulate and open synapses in the brain that allow "feel good" waves to transmit more easily. Anandamide was discovered by a scientist in 1992. He named it after the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss. See, chocolates are always related to happy things.

Another two other factors are serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that is released after eating carbohydrates. It is a neurotransmitter that communicates a feeling of calm to the brain and helps to stabilize moods. Endorphins are another chemical that act to send high levels of energy and feelings of euphoria to the brain. In addition, endorphins have been shown to be effective painkillers, much like morphine.

Chocolate has a long history associated with feelings of well being. It has been favored by people ranging from the ancient Aztecs to high society Victorians to Popes (COOL isn't it??!!). Chocolate also has a history of being a known aphrodisiac. I think it is quite fascinating that a food such as chocolate can have such an effect on the operations of our brain and thus our perceptions of the world.

There are ENDLESS details about chocolate and I might take me 3 pages-essay-long to further elaborate. Curious to find out more about chocolate, you can always go to this website to learn more about it - http://www.allchocolate.com/understanding/ . I gotta say, IF you want to be like me, EAT MORE COCOA-PRODUCT!!!!


Reference:
http://www.chocolate.org/chocolate.pdf
http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=1419