Women’s chocolate cravings start in the womb, claims study

So ladies, it turns out we really are more obsessed with chocolate than men. And guess what? That deep bond forms forms even before we are born -- or so claims a recent study.

The small Italian study says that female fetuses exposed to chocolate in the womb react much stronger to chocolate than male fetuses.

Lead researcher Andrea Tranquilli from the University of Politecnica Marche set out to determine if chocolate cravings, which are more common in women than men, are inborn or culturally acquired.

Also see: Is chocolate good or bad for you?

“The fact that female fetuses react more than males shows that [a woman’s preference for chocolate] is innate,” Tranquilli tells Postmedia News. “It’s unequivocally innate.”

The research involved 100 pregnant women, none of whom had consumed chocolate within the last 90 days. Forty-six of the women carried a male fetus and 54 carried a female.

After the mothers were given five pieces of dark chocolate, the female fetuses showed a greater increase in fetal movements and more episodic accelerations in the heart rate than the males. And they were faster to respond to the chocolate too.

Also see: The dos and don'ts of chocolate

Previous research from Tranquilli shows the darker the chocolate is, the strong the reaction of a male or female fetus. For this reason, she suggests that the fetuses aren’t simply responding to the calories and fat.

Tranquilli and her team write that chocolate is the most craved for food among women and that nearly half of women experience these craving, particularly during their menstrual periods.

Yet previous research shows American women are much more likely to report chocolate cravings over Spanish women during their menstrual cycle, which might indicate the cravings are cultural, not biological.

How often do you crave chocolate? Why do you think the cravings are more common in women? Tell us in the comments.