Chocolate has been used by the human race for almost 3000 years now. Thanks to liquid chromatography, scientists were able to detect cocoa remains on Mayan pottery. Chocolate became available in Europe in the 16th century. At that time only the wealthy had access to such a “pleasurable” food. Cocoa butter is made up of stearate in its lipid content. Thanks to that property it is solid at room temperature, but once in the mouth, its fat content absorbs heat from the mouth and melts at body temperature, generates the ‘melt in the mouth’ effect. Chemicals such as tryptophan, serotonin, and phenylethylalanine are detected in chocolate, but in small amounts. Due to these chemicals, people have started to associate the “buzz” one gets from eating chocolate with chemicals that stimulate the brain. Science may be finding ways to associate chocolate with these chemicals, but due to such low concentrations of these chemicals in the chocolate bars we eat it would not be logical to associate the effects chocolate has on us with these compounds.
See: http://www.scienceinschool.org/2006/issue2/chocchemistry
Posted by Kinga Magiera
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It's kind of interesting that chocolate contains tryptophan, which can be used as a sleep aid. Maybe this is a common fact I just wasn't aware of, but I usually associate chocolate with mild amounts of caffeine, which seems to produce quite the opposite effect. Huh.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that the existence of the chemical norepinephrine has been found to cause migraines. Norepinephrine works by altering the amount of blood flow to the brain. I have never been a big fan of chocolate myself because any amount more than a small candy bar gives me a headache. When I say that I don't really like chocolate the immediate response is shock but it's nice to find out there might actually be a really for my disliking.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting article because it is true that most people consider chocolate an antidepressant. The reason for this could be that chocolate contains caffeine, which has an almost immediate affect on the body. Chocolate also releases endorphins which improve your mood. Until now, I wasn't aware that chocolate contained tryptophan. The reason this does not seem to have an affect on the body could be because the effect of caffeine negates the effect of tryptophan.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be very interesting because I had always heard the phrase "eating chocolate gives you the feeling of being in love", but never understood what that meant. The tryptophan, caffeine, and endorphins that are within most types of chocolate could potentially deal with part of the central nervous system that may elevate your mood and give you the feeling of love. However, as the article states, there is not enough of the chemical within the formula for chocolate so not enough can be concluded. I think, though, that is an issue worth considering further.
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