A new study suggests that chocolate activates a part of the brain that reduces pain, and drinking water has the same effect without the risk of obesity. The research found that when rats ate chocolate or drank water, their response to pain was dulled.

The fact that chocolate dulls pain has meant many people find it difficult to stop eating it, which has contributed to the obesity epidemic. Prior students have shown that sugary foods have the same effect.

The fact that water has the same effect as chocolate and sugary foods, means that people should drink water as a way to relieve pain to avoid the problem of gaining weight.