The real reason women crave chocolate during their period

There’s a popular belief that period cravings are linked to hormones. But researchers now think these cravings are culturally driven. Many studies have found that women report craving chocolate around menstruation , often with an increase beginning a few days before its onset.

There’s a popular idea that these chocolate cravings are linked to fluctuating hormones during the menstrual cycle. But the data have not been so clear cut. Researchers now think cravings around menses are culturally driven, rather than a purely biological phenomenon.

In fact, more American women tend to crave chocolate than in other countries. A 2006 survey of more than 300 Cornell University students found that 91% of the female students surveyed craved chocolate. For the women, chocolate was also the most-craved food overall.

But in other parts of the world, chocolate cravings can be less common. The 2006 study also surveyed Spanish college-aged women and found that of about 260 students at a university in Spain, 28% of women endorsed chocolate cravings specifically related to their menstrual cycle , compared to 49% of American women..