For the first time, scientists have linked the chocoholics craving for well chocolate, to a specific, chemical signature that may be programmed into the metabolic system and is detectable by laboratory tests.
Swiss and British scientists have linked a love of eating chocolate to a certain type of metabolic profile — or metabotype.
The study found the chocolate lovers’ metabotype is marked by low levels of low-density lipoprotein of “bad” cholesterol. This metabotype showed slightly elevated levels of a beneficial protein albumin and distinctive intestinal microbes. This profile stayed consistent even when the chocolate lover wasn’t eating chocolate.
The controlled clinical study compared 11 volunteers who classified themselves as “chocolate desiring” and 11 volunteers who described themselves as “chocolate indifferent.” Each subject — all men — ate chocolate or placebo over a five-day period and their blood and urine samples were analyzed.
“Our study shows that food preferences, including chocolate, might be programmed or imprinted into our metabolic system in such a way that the body becomes attuned to a particular diet,” Sunil Kochhar, a scientist with Nestle Research Center in Switzerland, said in a statement.
Understanding metabolic profiles could help explain why some diets are healthy for some people and unhealthy for others may lead to healthful nutritional interventions.