Could this be why I ate too much chocolate over Christmas?! I saw this post by Dr. Eric Berg saying that “People who crave chocolate are really craving the adrenal hormone serotonin”. I checked further on his blog and he writes that the cravings can be alleviated through more L-tryptophan and that magnesium is a building block for L-tryptohpan so I guess I should up my Mg intake around Christmas.
Another article I read by Kristen Bruinsma and Douglas Taren and it said “Although addictive behaviour is generally associated with drug and alcohol abuse or compulsive sexual activity, chocolate may evoke similar psychopharmacologic and behavioural reactions in susceptible persons. Chocolate contains several biologically active constituents (methylxanthines, biogenic amines, and cannabinoid-like fatty acids), all of which potentially cause abnormal behaviours and psychological sensations that parallel those of other addictive substances.”
Well, I clearly must be one of those susceptible persons. If only Chocotonin really existed maybe it could wean me off of that habit!