Can Chocolate Affect Your Nerves?

Reach for a chocolate bar when you feel depressed and elevate your mood. Munch some chocolate to banish late-afternoon energy slumps. Smell chocolate and note that your mouth waters. Chocolate reaches more than the taste buds; it affects neurotransmitters and triggers feelings of alertness, relaxation and pleasure. Science tells us that chocolate is not addictive, but pleasure receptors in the brain tell us it's a gratifying habit.

Caffeine

Chocolate contains modest amounts of caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system. The darker the chocolate, the higher the percentage of stimulating and health-giving compounds remain in the chocolate product. But, even with chocolate that contains a very high percentage of moderately processed cacao, you'd have to consume a lot to get a caffeine buzz. Researchers at the University of Illinois McKinley Health Center say three cups of coffee give you 300 mg of caffeine, a modest amount. A bittersweet chocolate bar contains between 5 and 35 mg of caffeine per ounce, depending on the percentage of cacao solids in the bar. Eating chocolate may temporarily increase alertness, but the effects on the nervous system wear off quickly.

Theobromine and Theophylline

Along with caffeine, chocolate contains small amounts of theobromine and theophylline. Both stimulate neurotransmitters, although they have a very modest effect on the central nervous system. According to Stanford University, theophylline's primary benefit is as a bronchodilator, helpful in relaxing muscles and opening breathing passages for asthma sufferers. Theobromine is a less powerful bronchodilator and a vasodilator that relaxes smooth muscle, expands arteries and can help to lower blood pressure.

Anandamide

Ananda is the Sanskrit word for bliss, and that is the feeling the chemical anandamide is said to induce when you consume chocolate. Anandamide is contained in chocolate in amounts directly related to how little the cacao beans have been processed. Dark chocolate with a high percentage of cacao will deliver a stronger dose. Chemists at Frostburg University say anandamide releases "feel-good" endorphins and the energizing and relaxing neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. It mimics THC, the psychoactive substance in cannabis, but is much weaker. Anandamide is short-lived and fragile, but it contains compounds that prevent it from breaking down quickly so its effects last long enough to be noticeable. It is most active in the parts of the brain that control memory, higher thinking and movement.

Phenylethylamine

An amphetamine-like chemical in chocolate temporarily causes a rise in blood pressure and blood glucose levels, according to the University of Washington. Phenylethylamine is sometimes referred to as the "love drug" because it has the same effect on your pulse as the thought or sight of your latest heartthrob. It works in a similar way to caffeine but with milder effects. Phenylethylamine does cause a measurable degree of intensified activity in the brain's neurotransmitters, but chocolate has only small amounts of it.