London - Pregnant women crave chocolate because it is the only time they can eat the “forbidden” food without feeling guilty.
Researchers have concluded there is no biological reason behind a mother-to-be’s desire for the treat.
Instead, they believe that the period when they are expecting a child is the “socially acceptable time to indulge” – so they make the most of it.
US psychologists behind the study say their findings debunk previous theories that caffeine in chocolate sparks cravings.
They also dismissed the idea that women ate the sweet treat for certain nutrients – if this were true, expectant mothers would be drawn to products like milk or lean meat.
Psychologist Natalia Orloff of SUNY college in New York state also claimed the idea of “eating for two” does not stand up to scrutiny. Cravings start in the first trimester, which is “long before a majority of fetal growth (and thus fetal demand for nutrients)”, she wrote.
In her paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, Miss Orloff described the “conflicting attitudes” toward foods like chocolate that are perceived to be simultaneously appealing and forbidden because of cultural perceptions about weight gain.
“Evidence suggests that efforts to avoid foods that cause these conflicting feelings may have the paradoxical effect of increasing the likelihood of craving,” she wrote.
“The result is a sort of ‘vicious cycle’ of alternating restraint and overconsumption or binge eating.” Part of the US research is also examining cravings over the course of an entire pregnancy. Miss Orloff said scientists will aim to find the “predictors” of excess weight gain in mothers-to-be – which may help to develop measures to cut its “negative consequences”.
Cravings affect up to 90 percent of pregnant women but science has never been able to adequately explain it.
Medieval physician and philosopher Maimonides blamed “bad liquids” inside expectant womens’ bodies.
More recent studies have suggested that cravings could be linked to elevated levels of certain hormones. Changes in the brain during pregnancy could also affect taste and smell, prompting women to want certain foods. - Daily Mail