M@M not M&M’s

I study medicine at Michigan (M@M) but I rarely eat M&M’s. I prefer the real, legit, dark stuff. This weekend, there was no Death by Chocolate (the best event ever invented by Pomona College), but rather Life by Chocolate. I probably would not have made it through the exam without it; plus, I am mildly amused by the sheer quantity of chocolate that was consumed while studying the innervation of muscles and their contraction action.

Before we get any further, you should know that this post is largely plagiarized (depending on what you mean by plagiarism) from the blog I kept while in Switzerland. Let’s skip past some of the culture, economics, and history, though, and get down to the science of chocolate. If you want a more complete story, ask me some time about chocolate’s relationships to religious ceremonies, currency exchanges, and gender discrimination.

As a long-standing chocolate connoisseur (read: addict), I knew a lot about chocolate production and chemistry before moving to Switzerland last year. The Swiss have the highest per capita rate of chocolate consumption in the entire world (11.6 kg, or 25.6 lbs., per capita per annum) and thus did nothing to moderate my addiction.

The fabrication process begins with the manual harvesting of cocoa beans from the tropical evergreen Cocoa trees, which grow in the wet lowland tropics of Central and South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. Cocoa beans grow in pods the size of a football, sprouting off of the trunk and branches of cocoa trees. When the pods are orange and ripe, harvesters trek through the orchards with machetes and hack the pods off of the trees before splitting them and allowing the bean fermentation to start in the sun.

I like that cocoa butter melts at 35 degrees Celsius, our internal body temperature. But why – WHY?!? – does chocolate makes you so happy? Yes, it tastes good, but people have known for centuries that it is also a drug. No, seriously, we’re talking addictive. The researcher Drewnowski of the University of Michigan explained in the 1990s that we want chocolate in times of stress, anxiety, and pain because “chocolate is a natural analgesic, or pain killer.” The over 300 chemicals that compose chocolate have numerous and varied effects on our bodies through the nervous system, since it causes the release of specific neurotransmitters. The tryptophan in chocolate stimulates the release of serotonin, known as an anti-depressant (which is why we treat some depression with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs), as well as endorphins, which lessen pain and decrease stress. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, meaning that it transmits nerve impulses across the synapse between neurons. It turns out that serotonin is biochemically derived from tryptophan, which makes sense when you look at the structures.

One of the more unique neurotransmitters released by chocolate is phenylethylamine, a “chocolate amphetamine” that causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels that lead to excitement and alertness. Phenylethylamine is known as the “love drug” because it causes your heart rate to quicken. Another interesting compound found in chocolate is the lipid anandamide, which resembles the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) found in marijuana. Like marijuana, chocolate activates the receptor which causes the production of dopamine, leading to the feelings of well-being associated with a high.

 

Also, I just came across an article with tips on how to curb your chocolate cravings and addiction (which I have no intention of doing). Here are the steps, though, if you are interested:

Discover if the craving is emotional. (Mine sometimes is, and I don’t care because a little chocolate does indeed help.)

Incorporate small portions of chocolate into your usual diet, rather than restrict yourself. (That’s nice. I’d rather incorporate large portions into my diet…like, say, between every meal, every day.) 

If you are feeling bored and craving chocolate, go for a walk, run errands, call a friend or read a book. (Well, yeah, sure…or read your book while you eat the chocolate.)

Make sure you always have healthy food nearby, so you can replace chocolate with fruit a few times a day. (Fruit goes well with chocolate. Don’t be stupid.)

If you think it’s necessary, do not allow chocolate in the house. (Now that’s just crazy talk.)

Finally, it is a good idea to increase your level of exercise, since exercise also releases endorphins, which counteracts stress, anxiety and depression. (Oh, good. I’m addicted to exercise, too. The lid of the tin below is hanging on my fridge.)