Chocoholic

A chocoholic is a person who craves or compulsively consumes chocolate.^[1] The word "chocoholic" was first used in 1961, according to Merriam-Webster. It is a portmanteau of "chocolate" and "alcoholic".^[1] The term is used loosely or humorously to describe a person who is inordinately fond of chocolate; however, there is medical evidence to support the existence of actual addiction to chocolate.^[2] Psychoactive constituents of chocolate that trigger a ‘feel-good’ reaction for the consumer include tryptophan and phenylethylamine, which may contribute to cravings and addiction-like responses, particularly in people with specific genetic alleles.^[3] The quantity of sugars used in chocolate confections also impacts the psychoactive effects of chocolate.^[4]

Although the concept of a chocolate addiction is still controversial in the medical literature, chocolate (especially dark chocolate) is considered to have effects on mood,^[5] and chocolate confectioneries almost always top the list of foods people say they crave.^[6] The craving can be so strong in some cases that chocoholics may experience withdrawal symptoms if the craving is not fulfilled.^[7]

^ ^a ^b "Chocoholic". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
^ Hetherington, Marion M.; MacDiarmid, Jennifer I. (1993). "'Chocolate Addiction': A Preliminary Study of its Description and its Relationship to Problem Eating". Appetite. 21 (3): 233–46. doi:10.1006/appe.1993.1042. PMID 8141595. S2CID 36613545.
^ Nehlig, Astrid (2004). Coffee, tea, chocolate, and the brain. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 203–218. ISBN 9780429211928.
^ Casperson, Shanon L; Lanza, Lisa; Albajri, Eram; Nasser, Jennifer A (2019-03-12). "Increasing Chocolate's Sugar Content Enhances Its Psychoactive Effects and Intake". Nutrients. 11 (3): 596. doi:10.3390/nu11030596. PMC 6471517. PMID 30870996.
^ Jackson, Sarah E; Smith, Lee; Firth, Joseph; et al. (2019). "Is there a relationship between chocolate consumption and symptoms of depression? A cross-sectional survey of 13,626 US adults". Depress Anxiety. 36 (10): 987–995. doi:10.1002/da.22950. hdl:10447/464591. PMID 31356717. S2CID 198984561.
^ Rogers, Peter (2003). "Food cravings and addictions – fact and fallacy". In Carr, Tanya; Descheemaeker, Koen (eds.). Nutrition and Health - Current topics - 3. Antwerpen: Garant. pp. 69–76. ISBN 978-90-441-1493-5.
^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Merriam_Webster-1] "Chocoholic". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 14 April 2013.

[2] Hetherington, Marion M.; MacDiarmid, Jennifer I. (1993). "'Chocolate Addiction': A Preliminary Study of its Description and its Relationship to Problem Eating". Appetite. 21 (3): 233–46. doi:10.1006/appe.1993.1042. PMID 8141595. S2CID 36613545.

[:1-3] Nehlig, Astrid (2004). Coffee, tea, chocolate, and the brain. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 203–218. ISBN 9780429211928.

[4] Casperson, Shanon L; Lanza, Lisa; Albajri, Eram; Nasser, Jennifer A (2019-03-12). "Increasing Chocolate's Sugar Content Enhances Its Psychoactive Effects and Intake". Nutrients. 11 (3): 596. doi:10.3390/nu11030596. PMC 6471517. PMID 30870996.

[5] Jackson, Sarah E; Smith, Lee; Firth, Joseph; et al. (2019). "Is there a relationship between chocolate consumption and symptoms of depression? A cross-sectional survey of 13,626 US adults". Depress Anxiety. 36 (10): 987–995. doi:10.1002/da.22950. hdl:10447/464591. PMID 31356717. S2CID 198984561.

[6] Rogers, Peter (2003). "Food cravings and addictions – fact and fallacy". In Carr, Tanya; Descheemaeker, Koen (eds.). Nutrition and Health - Current topics - 3. Antwerpen: Garant. pp. 69–76. ISBN 978-90-441-1493-5.

[:0-7] Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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