Research by Judith Wurtman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, focused on how certain foods alter a person’s mood by influencing the level of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters – dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. This research showed that neurotransmitters are produced in the brain from components of certain foods.
Chemicals that can influence mood and appetite are the endorphins. These are the body’s natural opiate-like chemicals that produce a positive mood state, decreased pain sensitivity and reduced stress. Endorphins are released when a person is in pain, during starvation or in exercise – resulting in a “runner’s high.” A food substance related to endorphins is phenylethylamine, which is found in chocolate. There is some evidence that chocolate may improve mood temporarily due to its levels of sugar, fat, phenylethylamine and caffeine. The sugar in chocolate is associated with a release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and the fat and phenylethylamine are associated with an endorphin release. This combination produces an effect that has been called “optimal brain happiness.” The caffeine in chocolate adds a temporary stimulant effect.

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