# Brain Hormone in Chocolate?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-hormone-in-chocolate/152773>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 4, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-hormone-in-chocolate/152773 "2003-02-04T20:17:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![don\_willard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@don\_willard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_willard)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-hormone-in-chocolate/152773/1 "2003-02-04T20:17:42Z")

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I heard a few years ago that chocolate has a chemical in it that is identical with a brain hormone, and this often comes up in connection with St. Valentine’s Day when people give chocolate. It was said that this brain hormone makes one feel more or less loving. But then I heard a person say that the brain hormone and the chemical in chocolate were very similar but one atom off! Now I don’t know what to believe. If it is one atom off that could make a big difference! Or it might not. 1) Is the chocolate chemical the same as the brain hormone? Also, 2) what is the name of this chemical?  
3) Speaking of brain hormones, I thought there was only acetylcholine, but then they added endorphines, dopamine, and serotonin. Now I hear there are hundreds of brain hormones! Is this true?

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**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-hormone-in-chocolate/152773/2 "2003-02-04T20:39:18Z")

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To answer number 2, it could be any number of things: triptophan (also found in turkey), phenylethylamine, or anandamide.

Here’s a link that talks about all three: [http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/chocolate/addictive2.shtml](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/chocolate/addictive2.shtml)

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**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-hormone-in-chocolate/152773/3 "2003-02-04T20:47:02Z")

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[Phenylethylamine](http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/montage/Montage_96-01/lovedrug.html) is probably the one you mean. As to [neurotransmitters](http://www.indstate.edu/thcme/mwking/nerves.html), there are about a dozen important ones, but they keep finding more.

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**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-hormone-in-chocolate/152773/4 "2003-02-04T21:26:55Z")

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As logical as it sounds (chocolate chemically equaling love) its never been shown that eating chocolate raises phenylethylamine levels in the human body.

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**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-hormone-in-chocolate/152773/5 "2003-02-04T22:08:28Z")

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i thought this was the confusion between tyrosine and tyramine, one being a precursor to dopamine, one not.