Chocolate is Deadly
Cocoa has been popular for almost 4,000 years now. In Mesoamerica, all the way back in 1900 B.C. , it was used as a bitter beverage. The Indians falsely believed it had aphrodisiac properties. Cocoa beans only develop their taste after being strongly fermented, so it wasn't easy to discover their seductive taste. They felt it was a gift from Quetzacoatl, the god of wisdom. This is why the botanical name is Theobroma cacao (Theo or god, and brosi or food). Cocoa beans were so prized that the Aztecs used them as currency, and issued it to the military. Finally in the 16th century, Europe discovered the tasty beans, only they were now sweetened. Americans eat about 10 pounds a year, or 3 oz a week. We consume almost 20% of the world production of chocolate, despite being only 5% of the world population. Four times what everyone else eats. Americans spend almost $20 billion a year on it. A chocolate lover eating only about only 2 ounces a day would eat over forty pounds a year.
Chocolate in it's various forms is the most popular candy in the entire world. Cocoa is so complex in nature it cannot possibly be synthesized, as vanilla, strawberry, and other simple plant flavors can. There are over 500 different chemicals in trace amounts in a cacao bean. The real health problem here is the high theobromine content. This was discovered back in 1841. There are two powerful alkaloids in cacao- theobromine and, to a much lesser extent, caffeine. The botanical name Theobroma cacao comes from this one alkaloid.
Both are methyl xanthine compounds. Theobromine is just caffeine with another methyl (CH3) group. That’s like methamphetamine (“meth”) compared to regular amphetamine. This alkaloid group is toxic and deadly, and includes morphine (opium), cocaine (coca), strychnine (nux-vomica), coniinine (hemlock), atropine and scopolamine (belladonna), nicotine (tobacco), ricin (castor), and solanine (nightshade vegetables). While the actual lethal dose (LD50) of therobromine is somewhat high, normal doses can cause very serious side effects over time. It is so powerful it has been used as coyote poison. The reported, proven side effects of theobromine include strongly increasing the heart rate, dilating lung airways, dilating blood vessels, increased urine flow (diuretic), affects the CNS system dramatically, decreased appetite, and causes acute nausea, convulsions, internal bleeding, sleeplessness, tremors, restlessness, anxiety, and headaches. The unreported effects are raising insulin and blood sugar, as well as raising estrogens (E1 and E2). All four of these last four factors greatly increase the possibility of getting all dis-eases, especially cancer, diabetes, and heart and artery disease.
Just two ounces of dark chocolate daily can cause sweats, tremors, trembling, and severe headache. As you age, theobromine sensitivity increases strongly. Dogs are three times more sensitive than humans, due to slower metabolism of digestion. It is an urban myth about dogs dying from chocolate intake. It would take about two pounds of dark (not milk) chocolate to kill a 40 pound dog. Two ounces of dark chocolate contain about 400 mg of theobromine, but only about 35 mg of caffeine. Milk chocolate contains much less of both. The darker the chocolate, the more of both alkaloids. Again, the real issue here is theobromine. This is a very powerful alkaloid, and in any dose over 100 mg a day, is going to have serious side effects. Eating chocolate regularly over time has serious deleterious effects on your health. Again, this is especially true as you age.
Just a 2 oz dark chocolate bar every day would add over TEN GRAMS of theobromine to your diet every month. That is 120 grams a year!!! We're talking serious damage to your health here. Add the 35 mg of caffeine, and you have over 1 gram of that every month. Read the articles on coffee and caffeine in our library.
The natural health industry is primarily made up of criminals, cheats, liars, and conmen. You'll see various cocoa based products that claim to be "health supplements". The royal road to success is telling people what they want to hear. Telling them chocolate is, "good for you" works very well with the great unwashed masses. Of course if you eat, say only two ounces a week, you'd probably be fine.
One of our customers did not drink alcohol, didn't smoke, didn't drink coffee (or energy drinks), took no Rx drugs, and no recreational drugs. After hitting 60 he had sleep problems, digestive issues, his insulin and blood sugar went up, he gained weight, and his estrogens (E1 and E2) rose. He just could not figure out what was wrong. He ate about 2 ounces of dark chocolate a day. Every morning he would add two ounces to a cup of hot soy milk, blend it, and enjoy hot chocolate instead of coffee or tea. So, he gave up the chocolate for a month. He slept better, his digestion improved, he lost weight, his insulin and blood sugar fell, and his estrogens fell back to normal.
If you had a bottle of theobromine capsules, you would never even consider taking them. It’s the same with chocolate. No difference at all. Give it up. Stop making excuses. Your health is infinitely more important than mere sensory pleasures. Yes, chocolate is seductive, delicious, and very addicting.
This simple article was arduous and time consuming to write. The research on this was extensive. The scientific literature is very clear on the powerful toxicity and damage of theobromine consumption. What about the supposed studies that show the “health bene-fits” of cacao? These are all paid advertisements in medical journals from the World Cocoa Council and the World Cocoa Foundation. The public simply has no idea at all what is going on. Cocoa and chocolate seem innocuous, but that is 180 degrees opposite of the truth. Small children are regularly given hot cocoa and other chocolate foods regularly. It is very tempting stuff. Just give it up.