Dear Santa: Just Bring Me Lots of Chocolate

From Knowledge News (by subscription):

Got a cough? You might want to put down that lozenge and pop a piece of chocolate instead. Earlier this week, British researchers announced the results of a new study that suggests cocoa might make a better cough suppressant than codeine, the active ingredient in many current cough meds. How can chocolate help control coughing? Turns out Willy Wonka's favorite treat contains a chemical called theobromine that calms the nerves in your lungs that cause coughs. It's the latest and greatest scientific news about chocolate. But wait, there's more. . . . 4 More Sweet Things About Chocolate You've heard the news. Some elements in chocolate have been scientifically proven to promote good health. Sounds crazy, but it's true. Your doctor's probably not about to start prescribing chocolate, but here are four (more) good things it can do for you. 1. Stop Cell Damage Chocolate doesn't just have flavor--it's chock full of flavonoids, along with similar chemicals called phenolics. Both are strong antioxidants, which we know fight cell and tissue damage. And they may help prevent clogged arteries, too. 2. Start Your Engines Along with lots of sugar, chocolate contains caffeine and another stimulant, theobromine (which can pick you up and keep you from coughing). It also contains a slight amount of a stimulant called phenylethylamine, which is related to amphetamine. Don't worry about getting the jitters, though. You'd have to eat 20 pounds of chocolate to get even the slightest buzz. 3. Start Your Lover's Engines Scientists haven't figured out for sure why it seems to work for some folks, but everybody from Montezuma to Casanova has used chocolate as an aphrodisiac. It may be that the rich blend of carbohydrates increases serotonin levels in the brain, just like Prozac. Or it could be the phenylethylamine, which your brain churns out when you're feeling good. Then again, pickles and salami contain phenylethylamine, too, and nobody eats those to get "in the mood." 4. Chill You Out While part of chocolate may rev you up, another part just might take the edge off your anxiety. Chocolate contains a chemical called anandamide, which mimics the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. But don't worry. The tiny amount present in chocolate is too small to create the munchies for anything except, well, more chocolate. But Wait, There's More You've heard of chocoholics? Yes, we all know someone who practically lives for the next hit of cocoa. But experiments designed to discover whether chocolate causes a real addiction have yielded good news. When subjects with notorious sweet tooths took pills containing all of chocolate's chemicals, their cravings weren't satisfied. Apparently, nothing in chocolate creates chemical addiction--chocoholics' cravings are purely habitual. Taken in moderation, chocolate is even nutritious. Because so much of chocolate comes from the seeds of a vegetable--the tropical cacao plant--it contains a whole load of plant nutrients. Significant amounts of protein, iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin E can be found in just one bar of chocolate. Okay, That's Too Much "Taken in moderation"--ay, there's the rub. The big problem with chocolate is that it generally comes attached to lots of sugar and fat, two of the main culprits in the world's expanding obesity epidemic. If you want to have your health and eat chocolate, too, you'll need to take it in small doses. And be sure to get the good stuff. Cheap sweets are more sugar than chocolate. Christopher Call - November 26, 2004

I still don't think we should let the kids read this. Chocolate might end up being the gateway chemical to other dangerously wholesome natural foods. If we put McDonalds and Burger King out of business as people start eating nutritiously, where will our kids get their first jobs?

Regarding #3: Actually I do eat pickles and salami, along wih chocolate, all of which seem to help me get in the mood. But, trust me, you need an incredible lover to make it all work.