7.18 Programmed to love chocolate

http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2007/10/15/programmed-to-love-chocolate

By Matt Ford | Published: October 15, 2007 - 07:32PM CT

Do you love chocolate? Do you view it with a general indifference? New research suggests there may be a biological basis for your preference. A duo of scientists from Switzerland and Britain claim to have found a specific chemical signature in some people's metabolic system, that can be detected in laboratory tests, that determines your chocolate preference.

In a clinical trial made up of 22 men, half of which described themselves as "chocolate lovers" while the other half were "chocolate indifferent," participants ate chocolate or placebo over a five-day period. During this time, their blood and urine was monitored for various metabolite levels. The researchers found a "hallmark" profile in the men who described themselves as chocolate lovers: low levels of LDL-cholesterol and slightly raised levels of albumin protein. The same levels were found in the chocolate lovers even when they ate no chocolate. The researchers also noted that the activity of the gut microbes of chocolate lovers was distinctively different from the other subjects.

"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," says Sunil Kochhar, a scientist with Nestlé Research Center in Switzerland and author of the paper. Their research exploited the growing new field of proteome research, and is set to be published in the upcoming November issue of the Journal of Proteome Research. Research like this may one day lead to customized diets for each person based on their metabolic profile.

Journal of Proteome Research, 2007. DOI: 10.1021/pr070431h

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