CHOCOLATE, MARIJUANA CONTAIN SIMILAR CHEMICALS, STUDY SHOWS.

Byline: The Dallas Morning News

This is your brain on bonbons: New research suggests that chocolate packs chemicals similar to the active ingredient in marijuana.

While this doesn't mean that M&Ms can deliver the same side effects as the illicit drug, the compounds may ``participate in the subjective feelings associated with eating chocolate,'' scientists said in a study released today.

Not that chocolate was previously considered drug-free. The treat contains a respectable helping of caffeine and theobromine, a cousin of caffeine. But chocolate seems to inspire a devotion that transcends the need for these stimulants, researchers observed in the journal Nature.

``There is something about chocolate that people like it way beyond its texture, taste and smell,'' said Daniele Piomelli of the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego. Last year, for example, Americans on average ate more than 11 pounds of chocolate per person, a greater amount than any other confection.

In the study, which may give new meaning to the notion of inhaling a candy bar, Piomelli and his colleagues report that chocolate contains three compounds called cannabinoids, the same class of substances responsible for marijuana's sense of euphoria. However, studies with rat brain cells indicate that the Hershey-variety cannabinoids might only amplify the potency of natural cannabinoids already present in the brain, slowing their breakdown.

While not saying that the experiments are - scientifically speaking - fudged, other researchers were cautious about the new work.

Just because the chemicals are present in the chocolate doesn't mean they can survive the digestive process, let alone travel to the brain, said Bruce Stillings, senior vice president of scientific affairs for the Chocolate Manufacturers Association.

``There have been many theories over the years as to why people love chocolate,'' Stillings said. ``None of them have shown to be true.''

There is also no evidence that chocolate's cannabinoids occur in high enough concentrations to matter biologically, or that they have the chemical stability to hang around in the body long enough to cause some pharmacological effect, said Michael Walker, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brown University in Providence, R.I., who studies cannabinoids.

``While the findings from Piomelli's laboratory are very interesting, it would be premature to conclude that eating chocolate leads to anything like a marijuana high,'' he said.

Piomelli, who describes himself as a ``moderate chocolate consumer,'' acknowledges these concerns. On a larger scale, he said he hopes this research will encourage other scientists to examine deeper questions about food chemistry.

``It is intriguing and important to understand why people crave certain types of foods,'' he said.