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Jenna Hulme

Ms. Addabbo

RISE, period 2

November 28, 2010

Chocolate

Chocolate. Just that word makes most peoples’ mouth water. It is a delectable substance

that can be made into flakes that melt on your tongue, or into a delicious candy bar with nuts and

marshmallow, or even just a plain old bar of straight chocolate. All contribute to the mild

addiction some people feel towards chocolate. I am researching this topic because I too love

chocolate and I am wondering why people like it so much. I went to Ghirardelli Square in San

Francisco with my family a couple years ago. In the store, there was a place where they showed

how chocolate is made. I don’t remember exactly how they do it, but I still know a few things

about this substance. It has milk and powder from the cacao bean, and it is churned into a froth

and then cooled down. A few things I would like to learn about chocolate, however, are:

1) Who first created or discovered chocolate?

2) How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as the brain?

3) What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate?

4) How do milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and bittersweet chocolate compare in

nutrition?

5) Generally, do men or women admit to craving, or at least liking, chocolate?

These questions I hope will contribute to my understanding of this amazing treat and also to my

health, for if it is bad for the body I will decrease the amounts of it I take in. But if it has no
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effect or if it is even good for the body, I will feel no guilt in eating it a lot and might even

increase my consumption of it.

My first question is “Who first created or discovered chocolate?” Many modern

historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000 years, but recent

research suggests that it may be even older. They have thought before that the ancient Aztecs and

Mayas were the first to discover chocolate. However, in November 2007, anthropologists from

the University of Pennsylvania announced the discovery of cacao residue on pottery excavated in

Honduras that could date back as far as 1400 B.C.E. It appears that the sweet pulp of the cacao

fruit, which surrounds the beans, was fermented into an alcoholic beverage of the time. Before

this discovery, they had thought that the ancient Aztecs and Mayas were the first to discover

chocolate. Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine,

properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death. According to

Chloe Doutre-Roussel's book The Chocolate Connoisseur, Aztec sacrifice victims who felt too

melancholy to join in ritual dancing before their death were often given a gourd of the chocolate

drink (tinged with the blood of previous victims) to cheer them up. They made the beverage by

crushing the seeds of the Theobrama cacao tree, which means “food of the gods” in Latin, and

mixing that with various spices, creating a spicy, frothy beverage. A cup of this “divine drink”,

in the ancients’ words, allowed a man to walk a whole day without food. They also found that

the liquid could build up resistance. Because of this, it was a treasured treat and very important

to the Mesoamerican culture.

My second question is “How does chocolate affect the different parts of the body, such as

the brain?” Well, Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, hormones produced by the

brain, which initiates feelings of pleasure and contributes to a sense of well being. One of the
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ingredients in chocolate is tryptophan, an essential amino acid needed by the brain to produce

serotonin. Serotonin is a mood-changing neurotransmitter, the brain's "happy chemical." High

levels of serotonin can lead to feelings of happiness. Chocolate contains another

neurotransmitter, anandamide. Anandamide targets the same part of the brain as THC, the active

ingredient in cannabis. However, experts say the levels of these chemicals are so low in most

chocolate that a person would need to eat a few pounds of it in order to significantly affect the

brain's normal anandamide production. Cocoa, another ingredient in chocolate, contains a few

minerals – such as magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium – needed for a well functioning body.

A good, high quality dark chocolate bar can provide from 25 – 50 mg of magnesium. Also,

premenstrual women often crave chocolate. This could be an attempt of the body to increase the

amounts of magnesium that is in it. Magnesium also increases the speed of metabolism, so eating

chocolate could help the body convert food into energy faster and more effectively. One more

ingredient in chocolate is flavanol, or flavanoids. It has a high concentration of this chemical,

which has been demonstrated to defend against oxidation and blood clotting and also reduce the

risk of heart disease and hypertension. Black tea, green tea, and red wine also contain flavanol.

However, cocoa has a higher amount and concentration and is therefore more helpful to the

body.

My third question is “What do nutritionists and health experts say about chocolate?”

Nutritionists and researchers have found and agreed with almost all of the information in the

above paragraph. They have demonstrated over and over again scientifically that chocolate is

good for your body. Nutrition researcher, Michael Levine, and many others, have described

chocolate as “being the world's perfect food—chemically speaking.” It increases happiness and

other feelings of well being. Chocolate has magnesium and flavanoids, which help to make the
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body stronger against disease and other hardships. And also, it just tastes really good! A perfect

combination!

My fourth question is “How do milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, and

bittersweet chocolate compare in nutrition?” Well, dark chocolate is unsweetened chocolate

combined with added sweeteners and cocoa butter which contain at least 35% chocolate liquor.

The fat content in dark chocolate is about 27% and has two to four times (or more) the amount of

flavonoids than milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is unsweetened chocolate with added cocoa

butter, milk, sweeteners and flavorings. All milk chocolate made in the U.S. contains at least

10 % cocoa mass and 12 % whole milk, with less chocolate liquor which helps to make a softer

chocolate flavor. White chocolate contains cocoa butter but no nonfat cocoa solids. It is the term

used to describe products made from cocoa butter, milk solids and nutritive carbohydrate

sweeteners. White chocolate contains no cocoa solids or chocolate liquor, so it provides none of

the health benefits from flavanoids. Thus, dark chocolate is obviously the healthiest choice, but

milk chocolate is close behind. However, white chocolate has no chocolate liquor and therefore

isn’t nearly as healthy as dark or milk chocolate.

My fifth question is “Generally, do men or women admit to craving, or at least liking,

chocolate?” In one study, chocolate cravings were admitted by 15% of men and around 40% of

women and were usually most intense in the late afternoon and early evening. Chocolate actually

physically affects women differently than men. Anthony Auger, who studies sex differences in

the brain, agrees that women have a stronger craving for chocolate. The difference is probably

because of the female’s monthly cyclic rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone. In June, a new

study showed that chocolate also affects brains differently after it’s eaten. Magnetic resonance

(MR) images of brains showed that the hypothalamus was less active in women after they
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consumed large amounts of chocolate. Since the hypothalamus helps regulate food intake, this

could be why chocolate is more likely to reduce a woman’s hunger, or at least her motivation to

eat more chocolate. The study also found decreased activity in the amygdala, a key emotional

center in the brain. The amygdala not only regulates emotions, but also sexual behavior and

desire. So chocolate has a potential impact on those behaviors. But biologically, these differences

could explain why men and women have different behavioral and physiological responses to

chocolate.

In conclusion, I have found and learned many things that change my outlook on

chocolate. Because it is so healthy for me, I won’t worry about the potential health concerns

because there are none. Also, since dark chocolate is so much healthier than milk or white

chocolate, I will try to like the flavor more, although that might be hard because I haven’t liked

the taste of dark chocolate very much for as long as I can remember. I found it interesting that

the cacao bean contains so many important minerals and chemicals that help our bodies to

function more reliably. And indirectly, I want to look for more foods that contain those specific

nutrients so that I can increase the performance of my bodily functions even more. I also was

surprised to see how old chocolate is. I had no idea that it was discovered over 3000 years ago! I

knew of the affiliation the Aztecs and Mayas had with the substance, but I hadn’t ever thought

that it could have been that much older than the ancient Americans. I was not surprised,

however, that women like chocolate a lot more than men do. Personally, I haven’t found a single

man who likes chocolate more than almost all of the women I know. So, this report was actually

a really interesting experience that helped me to learn a lot of new things that I am glad I now

know.