This is the time of year when you probably eat the most chocolate, in all its forms. It is the favorite gift for Valentine’s Day. For many, however, this delicious sweet is an everyday companion.
It is irresistible, at any time, bitter, more or less sweet, with nuts, alone or stuffed. Have you ever wondered if that passion could turn into addiction? What you should know.
Chocolate is a food obtained after mixing sugar with dough and cocoa butter, products derived from the seeds of the cocoa tree or cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.).
Different types of chocolate can be made depending on the ingredients that are added to this basic mixture, such as colorants, fruits, nuts or milk, among others .
Due to its enormous popularity throughout the world, many experts began to wonder if this candy could be addictive, and thus entered the controversial field of food addictions.
- Do you have a carbohydrate addiction?
Those who support this idea, assure that certain foods, including chocolate, can alter the same brain pathways and nervous system that are affected by excessive drug use.
This means that food addiction can occur when certain foods, or specifically nutrients, repeatedly activate the brain’s reward system.
The available evidence is still scant and more studies are needed to corroborate this hypothesis, but many researchers agree in which chocolate, like other refined, processed or sugary products, provides a significant amount of carbohydrates and fats, which can alter blood sugar levels and hormonal balance.
This it affects the body’s production of dopamine, a chemical messenger that plays an important role in the brain’s reward and motivation pathways.
How do I know if I am addicted to chocolate?
From For almost half a century, scientists have studied chocolate addiction and evaluated its supposed health benefits.
Different studies in children and adults concluded that chocolate is among the most problematic foods when It is about addictive eating behaviors.
Certain ingredients from chocolate can alter dopamine production, which plays an important role in the brain’s reward and motivation pathways. | Photo: GettyImages.
To reach these results it is common to use the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), a tool developed at the University of Yale to measure and evaluate how addictive foods can be.
This scale is based on ranking by numbers, from 1 (non-addictive) to 7 (highly addictive). Chocolate usually receives scores that range between 3.7. Other foods that are considered addictive according to this tool are pizzas, soft drinks, french fries, hamburgers, ice cream, cakes or cheeses.
It is likely that this score on chocolate is due to many of its ingredients, such as cocoa butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, flavorings or preservatives, are rich in carbohydrates and fats.
But it is still necessary to know in depth the links behind this relationship and the chemical processes it triggers to effectively diagnose it as an addiction.
- The good side eating chocolate
Certain symptoms may indicate that you have a little or no healthy relationship with chocolate:
- Classify it as a “forbidden” food
- Eat too much and quickly.
- Set strict rules on how and when you can eat it .
- Be pending You should have chocolate available, even if you are not going to eat it.
- Hide its consumption from family and friends.
- Restrict abruptly and completely from the diet.
- Binge or stomach pain from eating it
- Have constant cravings.
- Have stress or anxiety when you eat it.
Does chocolate have benefits?
Chocolate has a significant concentration of antioxidants and nutrients that have been linked to different benefits:
- Fight free radicals, unstable molecules that affect healthy cellular structures, as it is rich in antioxidants .
- Decrease inflammation of cardiovascular tissue.
- Improve the mood and counteract mental disorders.
- Get more energy.
- Protect nerve cells.
Most of these benefits come from in vitro or animal studies, and are focused on studying specific chocolate compounds, so their results cannot be transferred to humans with complete certainty until clinical trials are carried out.
Despite its fame, chocolate is not necessarily a harmful food, but when we do not consume it in moderation it can cause many health problems, such as being overweight, cardiovascular problems or diabetes.
These conditions can be aggravated if we usually opt for refined or excessively sugary versions of chocolate. Try to opt for less processed chocolate and maintain control when adding it to the diet.
If you think you could have an addiction or problems with chocolate or another food, you should consult a health professional as soon as possible, so that you can determine the best way to deal with this situation.
To remember:
Until significant scientific evidence is available from human trials, people interested in using herbal therapies and supplements should exercise extreme caution.
Do not abandon or modify your medications or treatments, first talk to your doctor about the potential effects of alternative or complementary therapies.
Remember, the medicinal properties of herbs and supplements can also interact with prescription drugs, with other herbs and supplements, and even alter your diet.
Sources consulted: American Heart Association, Comprehensive Natural Medicines Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Department of US Agriculture, National Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Yale University.
