I thought so, I am programmed to love chocolate

Two of the findings in this study was that those who love chocolate, eat it daily, have a different metabolic profile. Those who really like chocolate have marginally high levels of albumin (yes so do I), they also have really low LDL cholesterol (I have that too). If I could I'd eat many bars of chocolate a day, but sadly I have to limit my intake of dark chocolate. However when I do eat it, it's always Lindt Dark chocolate! Yum :D

People 'programmed to love chocolate'
Friday, 12 Oct 2007 08:18

Story can be found here

Being a chocolate lover is down to a chemical signature in the brain, scientists have found. Their discovery, the first to link chocolate preference to a chemical process, explains why some people love the food while others are indifferent to it. Swiss and British researchers behind the finding argue it could be used to help design healthier diets customised to an individual's needs.

They studied 22 volunteer men, half of whom are indifferent to chocolate and half who love it. The men ate chocolate or a placebo over a five-day period while their blood and urine samples were tested. Chocolate lovers were found to have lower levels of 'bad' cholesterol and marginally elevated levels of albumin, a beneficial protein. They expressed this protein even when they ate no chocolate and activity of the gut microbes in the chocolate lovers was also found to be distinctly different from the other participants.

"Our study shows that food preferences, including chocolate, might be programmed or imprinted into our metabolic system in such a way that the body becomes attuned to a particular diet," said researcher Sunil Kochhar, a scientist with Nestle Research Centre in Switzerland. "We know that some people can eat a diet that is high in steak and carbs and generally remain healthy, while the same food in others is unhealthy.

"Knowing one's metabolic profile could open-the-door to dietary or nutritional interventions that are customised to your type so that your metabolism can be nudged to a healthier status."

The findings are published in the Journal of Proteome Research.