時(shí)差N小時(shí):你能沉迷于巧克力嗎? Can You Be Addicted To Chocolate?

As Robert Palmer sang in the mid 80s,You might aswell faceit, you're addicted to love.

80年代中期的羅伯特帕爾默曾經(jīng)唱道：承認(rèn)吧，你已墜入愛(ài)河。

While that may or may not be true depending onwho you are, it's nosecret that addiction is acommon phenomenon.

雖然，這句歌詞的意思因人而異，但我們都知道，沉迷某事物或某人是個(gè)普遍現(xiàn)象。

Apart from serious addictions to drugs and alcohol,how many times have you heard someoneclaim thatthey're absolutely addicted to chocolate? Or diet Coke.

除了嚴(yán)重的毒癮和酒癮意外，你有多少次曾聽(tīng)到有人說(shuō)他們對(duì)巧克力十分上癮?

Or broccoli? Well, maybe notbroccoli, but you get the point.

或者說(shuō)無(wú)糖可樂(lè),或是花椰菜?也許不是花椰菜,但你知道我想說(shuō)的是什么。

But is it really possible to be a chocolate addict in the same waythat someone might beaddicted to drugs?

對(duì)巧克力上癮真的會(huì)跟毒癮一樣嗎?

To answer that question we need to know what addiction is.

要解答這個(gè)問(wèn)題，我們需要知道什么是上癮。

Although the precise science ofaddiction is unclear, we do know that it involves the brain;addictive substances alter brainchemistry in such a way as to make the body crave more.

雖然對(duì)上癮還沒(méi)有確切的定義，但我們都知道它跟大腦有關(guān);上癮的東西會(huì)以某種方式改變腦化學(xué)，從而使人體產(chǎn)生對(duì)該物的渴望。

But what about chocolate?

但怎么解釋巧克力呢?

Several studies indicate that chocolate addiction is for real.

一些研究表明，對(duì)巧克力上癮確實(shí)是存在的。

Chocolatecontains a number of addictive substances, including caffeine and cannabinoids,chemicals similarto the ones that make marijuana a potent drug.

巧克力包含很多容易上癮的物質(zhì)，如咖啡因、大麻類(lèi)物質(zhì)。

Further studies found not only that chocolatefats trigger the release of pleasure-causingsubstances in the brain, but that chocolate contains achemical similar to amphetamine, a highlyaddictive drug.

進(jìn)一步研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，不僅巧克力脂肪能夠促使大腦釋放出使人體愉悅的物質(zhì)，巧克力還含有一種和苯內(nèi)胺很相似的化學(xué)物質(zhì)。

Does this mean that anyone who eats enough chocolate will become addicted?

難道說(shuō)任何吃過(guò)多巧克力的人都會(huì)上癮嗎?

No. Some peoplecan eat all the chocolate they want and never get hooked.

不是的。有些人可以想吃多少巧克力就吃多少而不上癮。

But chocolate does cause chemicalchanges in the brain that can result in a powerful craving.

但巧克力確實(shí)會(huì)引起大腦的化學(xué)變化，從而產(chǎn)生一種強(qiáng)烈的渴望。

Chocolate addiction is nowhere near aspotent or harmful as alcohol and drug addiction, ofcourse.

對(duì)巧克力上癮可不是像毒癮和酒癮那樣對(duì)人體有害。

But if you find yourself unable to gothrough the day without at least one Hershey's Kiss, it's notjust in your mind.

但如果你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己一天不吃上一塊好時(shí)巧克力就不自在的話，不止是你腦中會(huì)這樣想，

You're hooked.

而是你確實(shí)是染上巧克力癮了。