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Written By: Admin | Updated : September 24, 2012 8:25 AM IST
Tucking into that big bar of your favourite chocolate could keep the blues at bay, but a new study has shown that chocolate has an effect on the brain similar to opium. It highlighted the striking similarity between obese people and drug addicts. In the study, a natural brain chemical called enkephalin - an endorphin with similar properties to opium - surged as rats began to eat M&M chocolates.
Findings of the research by Alexandra DiFeliceantonio of the University of Michigan and her team, published in the US journal Current Biology, have also thrown light upon many comparisons between obese people and drug addicts, Daily Mail reported. In the study, a natural brain chemical called enkephalin -- an endorphin with similar properties to opium -- surged as rats began to eat M&M chocolates.
When a drug was used to stimulate the brain area releasing the chemical, the number of M&Ms eaten more than doubled. Study leader DiFeliceantonio said the extraordinary findings showed comparisons between and drug addicts and the obese. "This (study) means that the brain has more extensive systems to make individuals over-consume rewards than previously thought. The same brain area tested here is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes," she said
Source: IANS
