chocolate

twinkle toez · 10-12-2007, 06:17 PM

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer Fri Oct 12, 4:34 AM ET

WASHINGTON - If that craving for chocolate sometimes feels like it is coming from deep in your gut, that's because maybe it is.
A small study links the type of bacteria living in people's digestive system to a desire for chocolate. Everyone has a vast community of microbes in their guts. But people who crave daily chocolate show signs of having different colonies of bacteria than people who are immune to chocolate's allure.
That may be the case for other foods, too. The idea could eventually lead to treating some types of obesity by changing the composition of the trillions of bacteria occupying the intestines and stomach, said Sunil Kochhar, co-author of the study. It appears Friday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Proteome Research.
Kochhar is in charge of metabolism research at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. The food conglomerate Nestle SA paid for the study. But this isn't part of an effort to convert a few to the dark side (or even milk) side of cocoa, Kocchar said.
In fact, the study was delayed because it took a year for the researchers to find 11 men who don't eat chocolate.

Calaba · 10-12-2007, 06:55 PM

and yet another thrilling post

so is there like a website that keeps all the most inane stories just for you?

**Red Venus Moon** · 10-12-2007, 06:57 PM

I like the story

I must have some bacteria that craves coffee, quesadilla's, and popcorn too

The Voice · 10-12-2007, 09:08 PM

How do they know that regularly eating chocolate didn't change the makeup of the bacteria in the first place?

Maybe eating chocolate causes the imbalance, rather than vise-versa.

**Mariah** · 10-12-2007, 10:23 PM

Nestle's probably added the bacteria to their cocoa mix to lure the unsuspecting to their yummy Kit Kat bars. That's why I crave them every now and again.

J/K!!! But I really do crave Kit Kat chocolates every 6 months or so. I'll go on a binge for a week or so and then get sick of the chocolate for another 6 months or more.

twinkle toez · 10-13-2007, 12:18 AM

good lord i must be loaded with the bacteria

ima choco-addict!

i do try to limit it to dark chocolate like mounds bars mmmmmm
but i hate to discriminate ,i really never saw a candy bar i didnt like!

Two Lights · 10-13-2007, 12:29 AM

I used to enjoy chocolate, but now I find it revolting. That’s just me.

Interesting article; a bit pointless, but who cares?

Holls · 10-13-2007, 02:17 AM

I only crave chocolate once a month.

Rachael · 10-13-2007, 05:24 PM

chocolate is kinda weird
it's poisonous to humans too only we could never eat enough in one go to die from it... i think anyway