Chocolate can create same high as opium
LONDON: Are you a chocoholic? Then you may be suffering from a craving similar to drug addiction.
Chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium, according to a study by the University of Michigan that found comparisons between obese people and drug addicts.
A natural brain chemical called enkephalin - an endorphin with similar properties to opium - surged as rats began to eat chocolates, the Daily Mail reported.
When a drug was used to stimulate the dorsal neostriatum - part of the brain that releases the chemical - the number of chocolates eaten more than doubled.
Study leader Alexandra DiFeliceantonio said the findings showed comparisons between drug addicts and obese people. "The same brain area tested is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes. It seems likely that our enkephalin findings in rats mean that this neurotransmitter may drive some forms of overconsumption and addiction in people."
LONDON: Are you a chocoholic? Then you may be suffering from a craving similar to drug addiction.
Chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium, according to a study by the University of Michigan that found comparisons between obese people and drug addicts.
A natural brain chemical called enkephalin - an endorphin with similar properties to opium - surged as rats began to eat chocolates, the Daily Mail reported.
When a drug was used to stimulate the dorsal neostriatum - part of the brain that releases the chemical - the number of chocolates eaten more than doubled.
Study leader Alexandra DiFeliceantonio said the findings showed comparisons between drug addicts and obese people. "The same brain area tested is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes. It seems likely that our enkephalin findings in rats mean that this neurotransmitter may drive some forms of overconsumption and addiction in people."
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