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You鈥檝e probably heard the term 鈥渃hocoholic鈥� before. Maybe you鈥檝e even used it to describe your devotion to what the Mayans and Aztecs believed was a food of the gods. Usually said jokingly, 鈥渃hocoholic鈥� actually nods to a potentially serious question: can a person become addicted to chocolate, or food in general? It鈥檚 an appropriate question to ask on Valentine鈥檚 Day, the feast day of chocolate.

There are three essential components of addiction:

• intense craving
• loss of control over the object of that craving
• continued use or engagement despite bad consequences.

Several studies have shown that people can exhibit all three of these in their relationships with food.

Take craving, for example. The midnight run for a pint of ice cream is a familiar scenario. But I鈥檝e never heard of anyone trolling for celery at that hour. That鈥檚 likely because foods that deliver a lot of sugar and fat 鈥� like chocolate 鈥� trigger reward pathways in the brain. In some animal studies, restricting these foods induced a stress-like response consistent with the 鈥渨ithdrawal鈥� response seen in addiction.

Chocolate, which contains both sugar and fat, is often used in studies of food addiction. In a study published in the , researchers at Yale University asked volunteers to fill out questionnaires to assess addictive behavior. The volunteers then had their brains imaged while being able to see and smell, and then finally drink, a chocolate milkshake. Participants who scored higher on the food addiction scale experienced a surge of activity in the part of the brain that regulates cravings and rewards when presented with the chocolate milkshake. Once they started drinking it, they showed markedly reduced activity in areas of the brain that control impulses to seek rewards. A similar pattern of brain activity is found in people addicted to drugs.

In another study, this one involving candy, researchers at Drexel University concluded that people experienced 鈥� such as intense pleasure and craving for more 鈥� that were similar to reactions caused by some drugs.

Obesity and addiction

Much of the has been sparked by the epidemic of obesity sweeping the U.S. and many other countries. Many people who are overweight crave food, lose control over eating, and experience negative health effects that should, but don鈥檛, serve as a deterrent. The influence of stress on eating provides another link between food and addictive behavior. Those who have broken free of an addiction tend to relapse when they are under stress 鈥� partly because they begin craving the comfort they experienced while using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. In the same way, stress is often what prompts people to go off a diet. (To learn more about food addiction, Yale鈥檚 聽 has some interesting background information. Rudd Center researchers have also created a 聽that is being used in various ongoing studies.)

Despite intriguing parallels, however, there are also significant differences between drugs of addiction and food. The most obvious one is that food is necessary for survival, while addictive drugs are not. And this makes treatment more of a challenge too. It鈥檚 not possible to go off food, as it were, cold turkey.

Enjoy, and resist

Whether 鈥渃hocoholism鈥� exists or not, most of us are stuck with the simple, if often frustrating, advice to eat in moderation. In fact, health depends less on what we call our behavior than it does on paying attention to the hundreds of small but important choices we make every day.

The next time you feel the pull of chocolate, pay attention to it. But instead of automatically reaching for your preferred candy bar or fudgy ice cream, take a few moments to actively decide whether or not to indulge the desire. If you decide to have chocolate, focus on each bite, slowly, to extend the pleasure in it. If you decide to wait, enjoy the notion that you鈥檙e taking good care of yourself. (You can take the same approach to alcohol, cigarettes, and food in general if you are trying to lose weight.)

Do this often enough and you may find you鈥檙e living a healthier life. One with chocolate, but with many other pleasures, too.

(An earlier version of this article appeared in the Harvard Mental Health Letter.)