

Chocolate
Chocolate may be delicious and decadent, but is it addictive? Can something so good be so bad for us? There has been an exponential increase in scientific publications on food addiction in recent years, spurred by a study in which nine out of ten rats allowed to choose between sugar-sweetened water or intravenous cocaine chose the sweet taste over one of our most addictive drugs.
People have been chewing coca leaves for at least eight thousand years as a mild stimulant without any evidence of addiction, but when it is processed into a concentrated form for rapid delivery, such as cocaine and crack, it becomes highly addictive. Similarly, the sugarcane stem has been chewed for its pleasant taste for ages, but it only presents a disproportionate reward signal once highly refined into added sugars with the potential to override our self-control mechanisms, thereby leading to analogous addictive-type behaviors.
As with many drugs of abuse, salt, sugar, and fat are substances found in nature, but they exist naturally in much smaller concentrations and may only become problematic when extracted and concentrated by modern industrial processes.
Why don’t we crave trail mix as much as chocolate? That’s about as sugary and fatty as natural foods get. The key appears to lie in the processing, which simultaneously increases the dose and speed of absorption of the sugar and fat, while concurrently stripping away fiber, protein, and water.
In the landmark “Which Foods May Be Addictive?” study, dozens of foods were ranked based on reports of problematic, addictive-type behaviors. The two most troublesome were high-fat, high-sugar combos: chocolate and ice cream. The bottom ten least-addictive foods were strawberries, apples, corn, salmon, bananas, carrots, brown rice, cucumbers, broccoli, and beans.
Image Credit: Pixabay. This image has been modified.
Popular Videos for Chocolate


Chocolate & Stroke Risk
Dark chocolate is pitted against milk chocolate in a test of artery function.
Does Chocolate Cause Acne?
What are the effects of dairy products, sugar, and chocolate on the formation of pimples?
Does Chocolate Cause Weight Gain?
Big Candy boasts studies showing that those who eat chocolate weigh less than those who...
Does Cocoa Powder Cause Acne?
Is the link between chocolate and acne due to the sugar, the milk, or the...
Dark Chocolate & Artery Function
What do studies not funded by the chocolate industry show about the effect of cocoa...
Update on Chocolate
Results of a major international scientific conference summarized.
Healthy Chocolate Milkshakes
Recipes for ways to incorporate cocoa into your diet without the saturated fat or sugar...All Videos for Chocolate
-
Cut the Calorie-Rich-And-Processed Foods
We have an uncanny ability to pick out the subtle distinctions in calorie density of foods, but only within the natural range.
-
Foods That Help Headache & Migraine Relief
Plant-based diets are put to the test for treating migraine headaches.
-
Are Fortified Kids’ Breakfast Cereals Healthy or Just Candy?
The industry’s response to the charge that breakfast cereals are too sugary.
-
Evidence-Based Weight Loss – Live Presentation
In his newest live presentation, Dr. Greger offers a sneak peek into his new book How Not to Diet.
-
Does Adding Milk Block the Benefits of Coffee?
How to choose the healthiest coffee, and the effects of adding milk vs. soymilk.
-
Are Apples the Best Food for a Better Sex Life in Women?
Addyi (flibanserin), the drug marketed for “hypoactive sexual desire disorder,” is ineffective and unsafe. What about dietary approaches for female sexual dysfunction?
-
Do Sunflower Seeds Cause Acne?
Should we be concerned about the pimples, cadmium, and “colonic crunch” associated with consumption of sunflower seeds?
-
Does Cocoa Powder Cause Acne?
Is the link between chocolate and acne due to the sugar, the milk, or the cocoa in chocolate? Researchers put white chocolate, dark chocolate, baking chocolate, and cocoa powder to the test to find out.
-
Does Chocolate Cause Acne?
What are the effects of dairy products, sugar, and chocolate on the formation of pimples?
-
Dining by Traffic Light: Green Is for Go, Red Is for Stop
In this video, I explain my traffic light system for ranking the relative healthfulness of Green Light vs. Yellow Light vs. Red Light foods.
-
Are Avocados Good for Your Cholesterol?
Can guacamole lower your cholesterol as well as other whole-food fat sources like nuts, or is that just spin by the avocado industry?
-
Chocolate & Stroke Risk
Dark chocolate is pitted against milk chocolate in a test of artery function.