Jag är mer eller mindre ständigt sugen på choklad, men det visar sig att kvinnors chokladsug varierar. Enbart hälften av alla kvinnor tycks ha chokladsug, och av dem uppträder chokladsuget i hälften av fallen i början av menstruationen. Kan det vara så att kvinnors chokladsug är hormonbestämt? I studien ”Perimenstrual Chocolate Craving: What Happens after Menopause?”, publicerad i Appetite, rapporteras:

This study examines whether the primary cause of this ”perimenstrual” craving is a direct effect of hormonal changes around the perimenstrum, or rather if the craving is a general response in some individuals to stress or other notable events. Insofar as there is a direct hormonal effect, one would predict a substantial decrease of 38% in total chocolate craving in women post-menopause, corresponding to the proportion of women pre-menopause who report craving chocolate exclusively perimenstrually. Based on a survey of pre- and post-menopausal alumnae of the same University, we report a significant but small decrease in prevalence of chocolate cravings post-menopause. The decrease is only 13.4% and thereby much smaller than a 38% drop predicted by a purely hormonal explanation, suggesting that female reproductive hormones are not the principal cause of perimenstrual chocolate craving.

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