Have you ever wondered why some people like chocolate, and others can take it or leave it? According to a new study chocolate lovers have a different metabolic profile.
Scientists working on a project funded by chocolate giant, Nestlé, think they have discovered chemical reactions in people’s bodies that correlate to a strong desire for chocolate. Nestlé scientists developed a new methodology called nutrimetabonomics to make associations between individual metabolic phenotypes and nutritional preferences.
Researchers discovered that people who like chocolate, have lower levels of the ‘bad’ cholesterol LDL, higher levels of a beneficial protein, albumin, and also have different activities of the gut microbes involved in digestion. This occurs, even when they are not consuming chocolate suggesting a strong link between our metabolic profile and the foods we desire.
"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," says Sunil Kochhar of the Nestlé Research Centre.
"We know that some people can eat a diet that is high in steak and carbs and generally remain healthy, while the same food in others is unhealthy," he explains.
The study was conducted on men, as the researchers were concerned that metabolic changes during women’s menstrual cycle may influence the results. I guess they had visions of PMS women suddenly discovering a hankering for chocolate!
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