Aside from obesity and cavities, here is why you shouldn&#39;t eat too much chocolate:
<ul>
<li>Chocolate in extremely large amounts can actually poison you. The poison comes from the roasted seeds of the Theobroma cacao plant</li>
<li>The toxic components found in this are: methylxanthine, alkaloids, theobromine and caffeine</li>
<li>The lethal dose to kill a person is = 1,000 mg/kg of the person&#39;s body weight</li>
</ul>
However, theobromine levels vary by chocolate type with cocoa powder and dark chocolate.

Too much chocolate is bad for you

<ul>
<li>Theobromine meddles with the nervous system, respiratory system, and the cardiovascular system. It may also cause excess urination.</li>
<li>With enormous amount it can: increase heart rate, cause extreme sweating, trembling, loss of appetite, severe headache, and a drop in blood pressure.</li>
</ul>

Theobromine and its effects on the body

Chocolate is a good treat for yourself, but not for your dog.
<ul>
<li>Dogs can eat chocolate but only with a very small amount. Chocolate to dogs can be extremely poisonous. A 100g of chocolate can be deadly to a 10-kg dog.</li>
<li>Chocolate is metabolized in a very sluggish manner and could take days to clear from your dog's body.</li>
<li>It is much better to feed them a specifically-made treat for your dogs, and if you're wondering, cats are even more less tolerant of chocolate!</li>
</ul>

Dogs and chocolate

<h2>
 Something to keep in mind this Halloween. </h2>
 Posted Oct 27, 2020 <UL><LI><img alt="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/all/modules/custom/pt_social_media/img/icon-share-round-facebook-md.svg" width="37" height="37"></LI></UL>Americans buy 90 million pounds of chocolate during the week of Halloween, a marveling statistic widely reported by various news sources. With all that chocolate floating around, it’s intriguing to consider whether eating too much of this confection can kill.In humans, the main health risks for chocolate overindulgence are <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/obesity" title="Psychology Today looks at obesity" dir="ltr">obesity</a> and cavities. But chocolate does contain trace amounts of poison. It is derived from the roasted seeds of the plant Theobroma cacao, with the main toxic components being the methylxanthine alkaloids theobromine and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/caffeine" title="Psychology Today looks at caffeine" dir="ltr">caffeine</a>.<div>article continues after advertisement</div>The LD50 for theobromine, or lethal dose required to kill 50 percent&nbsp;of all people, is 1,000 mg/kg of body weight, which translates to 75 kg of chocolate in a 75-kg person. In other terms, it would take 165 pounds of chocolate to kill half a population of 165-pound people. That’s a lot of chocolate! Notably, theobromine levels vary by chocolate type, with cocoa powder and dark chocolate containing the highest concentrations, followed by milk and white chocolate. Nevertheless, it would still take hundreds of candy bars of any variety to kill a human by means of theobromine poisoning.<img alt="leekris/123RF" height="216" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half-caption/public/field_blog_entry_images/2020-10/chocolate_0.jpg?itok=mrRtlJUC" title="leekris/123RF" width="312"><div>Source: leekris/123RF</div>Theobromine interferes with the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroscience" title="Psychology Today looks at nervous system" dir="ltr">nervous system</a>, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system (eg, vasodilation), as well as resulting in excess urination (ie, diuresis). In very high amounts, it can cause increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, loss of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/appetite" title="Psychology Today looks at appetite" dir="ltr">appetite</a>, severe headache, and drops in blood pressure. In reality, other associated symptoms like nausea and anorexia would make it difficult for any person to continue eating chocolate until quantities become fatal. Nevertheless&nbsp;in the literature, there have been a few reports of elderly people exhibiting lower-level theobromine reactions.Like humans, dogs love chocolate. In dogs, however, theobromine found in chocolate can be much more deadly, and even a moderate amount can do serious damage. The LD50 in dogs is 100-500&nbsp;mg/kg, which means that 100 <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/intelligence" title="Psychology Today looks at g" dir="ltr">g</a> of dark chocolate—or two bars—could be deadly in a 10-kg dog. Moreover, chocolate is metabolized slowly in these animals, and can take days to clear the body by means of liver break down and subsequent voiding.Authors of an <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7517/633" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">article</a> published in the BMJ warned of theobromine poisoning in dogs. “Most symptoms will begin to appear within two hours of ingestion, but, as theobromine is metabolised slowly, it can take as long as 24 hours for them to appear and up to three days for recovery. Although there is no specific antidote, supportive <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/leadership" title="Psychology Today looks at management" dir="ltr">management</a> includes induction of vomiting and administration of activated charcoal, oxygen, and intravenous fluids,” they wrote.<div>article continues after advertisement</div>Although a dog may be given a very small amount of real chocolate every once in a while, it is best to find sweet treats made specifically for <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/animal-behavior" title="Psychology Today looks at pets" dir="ltr">pets</a>. And if you’re wondering, cats can tolerate even less chocolate. So this Halloween season, please keep your family’s candy stash hidden from the prying paws of pets.<UL><LI><img alt="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/all/modules/custom/pt_social_media/img/icon-share-round-facebook-lg.svg" width="45" height="46"></LI></UL>

Chocolate poisoning points to a fundamental physiologic difference between man and man's best friend.

food

Food

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

Something to keep in mind this Halloween.

Americans buy 90 million pounds of chocolate during the week of Halloween, a marveling statistic widely reported by various news sources. With all that chocolate floating around, it’s intriguing to consider whether eating too much of this confection can kill.

In humans, the main health risks for chocolate overindulgence are <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/obesity">obesity </a>and cavities. But chocolate does contain trace amounts of poison. It is derived from the roasted seeds of the plant Theobroma cacao, with the main toxic components being the methylxanthine alkaloids theobromine and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/caffeine">caffeine </a>.

The LD50 for theobromine, or lethal dose required to kill 50 percent of all people, is 1,000 mg/kg of body weight, which translates to 75 kg of chocolate in a 75-kg person. In other terms, it would take 165 pounds of chocolate to kill half a population of 165-pound people. That’s a lot of chocolate! Notably, theobromine levels vary by chocolate type, with cocoa powder and dark chocolate containing the highest concentrations, followed by milk and white chocolate. Nevertheless, it would still take hundreds of candy bars of any variety to kill a human by means of theobromine poisoning.

Theobromine interferes with the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroscience">nervous system </a>, respiratory system, and cardiovascular system (eg, vasodilation), as well as resulting in excess urination (ie, diuresis). In very high amounts, it can cause increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, loss of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/appetite">appetite </a>, severe headache, and drops in blood pressure. In reality, other associated symptoms like nausea and anorexia would make it difficult for any person to continue eating chocolate until quantities become fatal. Nevertheless in the literature, there have been a few reports of elderly people exhibiting lower-level theobromine reactions.

Like humans, dogs love chocolate. In dogs, however, theobromine found in chocolate can be much more deadly, and even a moderate amount can do serious damage. The LD50 in dogs is 100-500 mg/kg, which means that 100 <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/intelligence">g </a>of dark chocolate—or two bars—could be deadly in a 10-kg dog. Moreover, chocolate is metabolized slowly in these animals, and can take days to clear the body by means of liver break down and subsequent voiding.

Authors of an <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7517/633">article </a>

published in the BMJ warned of theobromine poisoning in dogs. “Most symptoms will begin to appear within two hours of ingestion, but, as theobromine is metabolised slowly, it can take as long as 24 hours for them to appear and up to three days for recovery. Although there is no specific antidote, supportive <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/leadership">management </a>includes induction of vomiting and administration of activated charcoal, oxygen, and intravenous fluids,” they wrote.

Although a dog may be given a very small amount of real chocolate every once in a while, it is best to find sweet treats made specifically for <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/animal-behavior">pets </a>. And if you’re wondering, cats can tolerate even less chocolate. So this Halloween season, please keep your family’s candy stash hidden from the prying paws of pets.

Is It Possible to Overdose on Chocolate?

Too much chocolate is bad for you

Theobromine and its effects on the body

Dogs and chocolate

Related collections

Other curated ideas on this topic: