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| Cacao nibs are high in anandamide. |
With all the sugar in chocolate, it may not be surprising
that Americans eat an average of about 9.5 pounds of it per person, per year.
Even more surprising is that at American’s consumption rate, we are ranked 20th
in the world in amount of chocolate consumed per capita. The average Swiss binges
on over 20 pounds of chocolate each year! With this hefty amount of chocolate
being eaten around the world, is there something that makes us as humans like
it so much?
Chocolate contains a molecule called anandamide. It’s an
endocannabinoid, which means that it binds to cannabinoid receptors in the
brain, similarly to THC, the psychoactive molecule in marijuana. It has been
dubbed the “bliss molecule” and was named after the Sanskrit word for joy,
bliss, or happiness.
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| Structure of Anandamide |
This compound’s positive effects don’t end there! Anandamide
has been shown to play important roles in pain, appetite, and fertility.
Another study showed that it can have anti-tumorigenic effects. Furthermore, it
promotes neurogenesis, thereby giving it antidepressant-like properties.
With all of the amazing properties anandamide, you might be wondering: "How can I get more of this molecule into my brain?" It's as easy as eating more chocolate! Dark chocolate contains more than milk chocolate. In addition, cacao nibs are higher in this molecule than dark chocolate, and they contain no sugar!
If you needed any more reasons to eat chocolate, it's known that chocolate contains a few other molecules that make it a brain booster! It has caffeine which has positive effects on mood and energy. In addition, chocolate contains phenylethylamine, which is nicknamed the "love molecule" because it, along with oxytocin, contributes to the feeling of being in love. Theobromine, another molecule in chocolate, is thought to stimulate the brain's natural production of anandamine.
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| Left to right: caffeine, phenylethylamine, theobromine |
Happy chocolate eating!
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/30/health/chocolate-chip-cookies-addictive-food-drayer/index.html
http://reset.me/story/anandamide-putting-the-bliss-molecule-to-work-for-your-brain/
https://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/23/americans-eat-how-much-chocolate.html
Very interesting topic. Good title and graphic. Good summary of the roles of the various key ingredients. Good use of chemical structures. It would help to include links to your general interest sources (cnn, etc.) in the text.
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