Did you know chocolate might be an aphrodisiac?

Yep, chocolate contains chemicals such as tryptophan, a building block of serotonin, which is involved in sexual arousal.

Another chemical in chocolate is phenylethylamine, a stimulant related to amphetamine which is released in the brain when people fall in love. So all the good stuff, basically.

But, as well as (supposedly) increasing libido in people, chocolate may boost men’s performances in bed, says new research.


After being injected with a protein found in chocs, men reported being more turned on watching porn.

No, you’re doing it wrong, let the dude eat it (Picture: Getty)

Researchers from Imperial College London analysed the protein kisspeptin, named after the US chocolate manufacturer’s most famous product – Hershey’s Kisses.



They found that the sweet stuff alters activity in specific resting brain networks that are linked to less aversion to sex – and greater arousal.

Lead author Dr Alexander Comninos said: ‘Psychosexual problems, such as low sex drive, affect up to one in three people, and can have a devastating effect on a person’s, and a couple’s, wellbeing.

‘Our findings help unravel the many and complex roles of the hormone kisspeptin and how it orchestrates reproductive hormones as well as sexual and emotional function.

‘These findings open avenues for kisspeptin as a future treatment for these problems, although there is a lot of work still to be done.’

Chocolate penis, anyone? (Picture: Yurko Dyachyshyn/AFP/Getty)

Authors said the study’s results may help those with psychosexual and mood disorders which frequently occur together.

But the study was small, using 29 participants, so there’s a long way to go before results can be generalised.

The 29 participants were exposed to a number of themed pictures while inside an MRI scanner. These included sexual images such as porn and negative or neutral ones – like car crashes or a cup.

The researchers monitored their brain activity while they looked at them and during rest.

Volunteers did this procedure twice – once after receiving kisspeptin and the second time a placebo, without knowing which they received.

They were also asked to complete questionnaires each time to assess various behaviours such as sexual aversion.

This was done through scoring words such as ‘frigid’ and ‘unattractive’ – depending on how they felt at that moment.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, concluded that kisspetin increases sex drive and reduces depression.

Whether you’re cautious about the results or not, a bit of chocolate can’t hurt.

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