Chocolate Craving and the Menstrual Cycle

About chocolate craving: Research suggests that up to 97% of women and 68% of men experience food cravings. Chocolate is the most common one of the craved foods, typically high calorie. A number of situations have been shown to experimentally increase cravings of chocolate consumption. For example,chocolate abstinence, stress and exposure to chocolate cues increase urges to eat chocolate. A 15 min bout of brisk walking, equivalent to ‘fairly light’ intensity exercise, reduces chocolate cravings, with moderate effect sizes, during and for at least 10 min following exercise cessation. Higher intensity or longer bouts of physical activity may lead to compensatory dietary behavior and/or chocolate cravings. Cravings are generally more prevalent in women than men and decrease somewhat with...