Chocolate And Its Effect On The Brain

Caffeine is a wildly use drug in today’s society. Caffeine is a methylated xanthine which acts as a mild central nervous system stimulant (MS & RL, 2001). It is a stimulant which acts upon the central nervous system and increases alertness, wakefulness and restlessness and it increases the release of catecholamine from renal medullar (Fernandez, 2016; Collines, 2007). It is present in many beverages. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, products containing chocolate (cocoa) and some medication (Collines, 2007). It is used as a cardiac and respiratory stimulant (Collines, 2007).Caffeine is the most frequently ingested pharmacologically active substance in the world (Collines, 2007).

First, we will be talking about the history of Hershey himself, second we will be talking about the different kinds of chocolate, third we will be talking about how chocolate is made,

Prior to high school, my uncle was my chemistry teacher. As a food scientist, he was to me a great inventor who knew everything about the magic of taste, texture, and aroma; I still remember his lecture on “good” chocolate and how cocoa butter—solid at room temperature—melts readily in our mouths. Raised on an early appreciation for the power of applied science, I am now driven toward chemical science by a desire to uncover solutions to challenges in the modern world.

Caffeine is found in many plant species, where it acts as a natural pesticide. It is found most commonly in cocoa, tea and coffee, but is also artificially added to some soft drinks such as cola to act as a flavour enhancer. When consumed by humans, caffeine works as a stimulant causing amounts of released neurotransmitters to be increased. High use of caffeine has been related with raised blood pressure, restlessness, insomnia and anxiety which, in the long term, can lead to heart and circulation problems.

The behaviour of caffeine acts as a stimulant which increase brain memory. Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group that has an influence on the central nervous

Caffeine is in tea, coffee, chocolate, many soft drinks,and pain relievers and other over-the-counter medications. In its natural form, caffeine tastes very bitter. But most caffeinated drinks have gone through enough processing to camouflage the bitter taste. Many people feel that caffeine increases their mental alertness. Higher doses of caffeine can cause anxiety, dizziness, headaches, and the jitters. Caffeine can also interfere with normal sleep. Caffeine in extreme cases could cause stroke, liver failure, and even

Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate, kola nuts, and certain medicines. Brands of Caffeine include Acetaminophen,Alert-Pep,Anoquan,Butalbital.It makes you jittery and shaky it can cause you to have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or get a sleep it can also cause an increase in heart beat and uneven heart rhythm, It has many more side effect on bodies.Caffeine binds to the adenosine receptor and the cell can no longer identify adenosine because caffeine is taking up all the receptors that adenosine would normally bind to. Caffeine speeds up the nerve cell instead of slowing down like adenosine's effect, Caffeine causes the brain's blood vessels to constrict, because it blocks adenosine's ability to open it.This is why headache medicines contain caffeine ,by it constricting blood vessels in the brain can help stop a vascular

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical tree, Theobroma cacao. Theobroma is the Greek term for 'food of the gods.' In Aztec society chocolate was a food of the gods, reserved for priests, warriors and nobility. The Aztecs used cacao beans to make a hot, frothy and bitter beverage called chocolatl. Chocolatl was a sacred concoction that was associated with fertility and wisdom. It was also thought to have stimulating and restorative properties. The bitter drink was first introduced to Europe in 1528. However, it was not until 1876 that milk, cocoa powder and cocoa butter were combined to form what we now know as chocolate (1).

For centuries, chocolate has been one of the favorite sweet- tasting treats in the world. Today, chocolate has become so common in our culture that it is nearly impossible to go through your day without encountering chocolate in your house, office, cafeterias, stores, and schools. Chocolate has many purposes including: improving mood, lowering blood pressure, improving a person’s ability to clot, and it helps the body repair from free radicals. Alberto Villodo summed it up best when he said, “We are spirits in a body.  The reason we came here to this World and to this Earth from the Spirit World is so we could experience chocolate, among other things – good coffee, the senses.” (“Heart Health Benefits of Chocolate”)

Upon research I learned that sugar does, in fact, play a very important part of our brains function, there are also many different factors that go into effect depending on your own body. So basically two people can eat the exact same meal with equal amounts of sugar and it can affect them completely differently. One major explanation behind our bodies processing sugar differently than others would be a diabetic and non-diabetic. According to research, our brain uses up the largest amounts of sugar because it needs large amounts of energy to function. Without sugar there would be lack of focus and inability to comprehend or focus on the daily task, on the other hand to much sugar can cause the same effects leading to a crash type state.

Many people start their day with a cup of coffee. According to John Hopkins, “Around 90 percent of Americans consume caffeine every single day in one form or another”. It seems if we need a wakeup call to our morning, many of us grab caffeine to give us that extra boost of energy. Caffeine is a CNS stimulant drug known as trimethylamine. Caffeine is naturally found in chocolate, coffee, and tea. It is also added to drinks such as soda and energy drinks. Caffeine temporarily blocks the adenosine receptors in the brain. These nerve cells can’t sense adenosine in caffeine, therefore, they maintain their activity and keep us alert.

For example, adenosine in the central nervous system inhibits neurotransmitter release and depresses locomotor activity, however with higher concentrations of cyclic AMP there is less adenosine so, the effects on the biology of the brain are an enhanced neurotransmitter release, and stimulated locomotor activity (Garrett, 1997). Another way caffeine acts on the brain is indirectly through the dopamine receptors. As stated by Garrett and Griffiths (1997), "Although caffeine does not bind directly to dopamine receptors a number of conflicting reports suggest that caffeine can either decrease or increase dopamine release" (p.535). For example, "Caffeine significantly decreases dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels in the striatum, hypothalamus, and frontal cortex, but increases DOPAC levels in the nucleus accumbens" (p.535).

“The Dark Side of Chocolate” is a documentary that explores the underlying issues prevalent in the cocoa trade. For most first world countries chocolate is seen as an accessible treat, however in third world countries, the production of cocoa creates social issues that must be eliminated. Cocoa trade is one of the largest industries in West African countries, but the issues that arise from such trade do more harm than good. The cocoa plantations are trafficking humans to work on their plantations. Furthermore, most instances suggest that these workers do not receive any compensation for their work and most importantly some of these slave laborers are children. Thus, the three issues that the cocoa companies routinely commit in exchange for lower costs are human trafficking, slave labor, and child labor. These companies are aware of such issues but refuse to actively combat them because they are better off financially. It can be argued that these issues can be mitigated through various social, governmental and political policies aimed at combating these problems. The three main issues will be addressed and the various stakeholders affected by these issues will be analyzed. Then this paper will look at the possible solutions to these issues, whereby through government, social or political means.

Did you know that getting a daily dose of dark chocolate may be beneficial to your health? Not only is chocolate the perfect gift for your sweetie on Valentine’s Day, it also may benefit your heart. The ingredients in chocolate are not only delicious, but dark chocolate and cocoa powders also contain disease-fighting antioxidants. The key to gaining the most benefits from dark chocolate is to enjoy it in moderation.

Everyone seems to love chocolate, and it is one of the most purchased treats on Valentine’s Day for friends, family, husbands and wives. When people are stressed, or feel like they need a comfort food, chocolate is one of the first things that comes to mind, and is reached to soothe a troubled emotional heart. In the past, chocolate has been considered to be a ‘sweet junk food’ that is high in sugar and calories with no nutritional value. But due to recent nutritional and scientific research people should be eating a bit of dark chocolate for the antioxidants and heart healthy benefits. Chocolate has recently been researched in the science world for its high levels of antioxidants,