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Chocolate does not contain Caffeine

by: arhan | Total views: 164 | Word Count: 1386 | View PDF | Print View

There is a persistent urban legend that Chocolate contains caffeine. It would
seem that this rumor is based primarily on a confusion between two similar
alkaloids: caffeine and
Theobromine. Theobromine is the active ingredient in
Chocolate and it occurs only in Cacao. The two stimulants are related
and have a similar structures, but are very different chemicals with different
properties, effects and origins. There are of course, some Chocolate products
that have added caffeine, but it does not occur naturally in Chocolate.

This rumor seems to have a life of its own; it won't go away and yet most
references to it are references to the urban legend itself! Amusingly, almost
all of the Chocolate & caffeine references on the Internet are circular.
(Follow the references through a few links sometime -- you often wind up back
at the page where you began!!) It is actually quite common to see references
that confuse Caffeine and Theobromine. Many people and some semi-scientific
sources confuse the two. Stollwerck, for example, says in one
place Chocolate contains 1.2% Theobromine and 0.2% Caffeine, but in another
place it says just 1.4% Caffeine and doesn't mention Theobromine, which is
obviously wrong.

There is no scientific substantiation that Chocolate contains caffeine, and a
great deal of evidence that it does not. The Biochemist, (Apr/May 1993, p 15)
did chemical composition tests where they specifically distinguished between
Caffeine and Theobromine. They found regularly up to 1.3% by weight
Theobromine in Chocolate. They also found other pharmacologically active
compounds including up to 2.20% Phenylethylamine up to 1.54% Tele-
methylhistamine and occasionally up to 5.82% Serotonin. They could not detect
any Caffeine at all. (Full results are on the Science Page.) I have yet to see a
dependable chemical reference that includes Caffeine in Chocolate. (The Merck
Index, 12th Edition says that a very small amount of Caffeine is found in the
hulls of of the Cacao seeds, the hulls are discarded before processing.)

People seem to assume that caffeine is the only stimulant. Theobromine clearly
has stimulant properties, so people reflexively attribute those effects to
caffeine -- even though many of the effects are fundamentally different from
caffeine. I guess they think it is easier to just say it is caffeine. I
believe that many people casually refer to caffeine, when they really mean a
whole class of chemicals called xanthines, of which caffeine is but one
example. This is roughly equivalent to calling apes, human, because both are
primates and humans are the more familiar type primate. Both are primates,
but the differences are pretty obvious.

There is a similar confusion with the Andean tea Maté. Like Chocolate,
Maté clearly has stimulant properties, which are obviously very different
from caffeine's effects; however many people say it contains caffeine simply
because because it is a stimulant. Yerba Maté contains Mateine, a
xanthine even more closely related to Caffeine than Theobromine. It is a
simple stereo-isomer of caffeine. Mateine, like Theobromine, is not
addictive.

The name of this chemical, Theobromine, is derived from the genus name
of the Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao. You will sometimes see a reference
to Theobromide, this doesn't exist - it is an incorrect reference to
Theobromine.

The ine ending indicates the "free base" nature of the molecule, like
caffeine. Compare theobroma & theobromine; caffea & caffeine;
coca and cocaine; in each case the portion of the plant name turned
into a name ending with -ine, this is for the amine funcitonality with in the
molecule (the alkaloid).


The Theobromide usage is probably a mistake arising from the element
bromine and ion bromide. The ion bromide is common while the element bromine
is not found in nature. There is no entry for Theobromide in the Merck
Index, Theobromine is listed as entry 9353 on pg 1653 in the 13th
edition.
-Assistant Professor Robert M. Burns, Department Of Chemistry, Alma College

Theobromine and caffeine are similarly constructed types of pharmacologically
active chemicals metabolized by the liver. Both are stimulants but with very
noticeably different effects:

In both cases, smoking cigarettes accelerates the dissipation from the system.

Theobromine is a strong stimulant and was used by the Spanish to keep their
armies going while conquering Central and South America. Chocolate (real
Chocolate, not candy) can keep you up at night -- especially very young
children (but that doesn't mean that it is caffeine). Nursing mothers who eat
pure chocolate will find their children happy and wide awake several hours
later.

Chocolate does not trigger Caffeine allergies. (Caffeine causes me an
almost immediate migraine, while Theobromine, i have discovered eases (but
doesn't eliminate, unfortunately) my migraines.) I have found that when i
have tasted portions of a pure (70% or greater Cacao) Chocolate bar that is
100% from the Crillo variety i have had immediate,
sharp headaches

There are a number of serious health problems associated with caffeine, most
of which have not been associated with Theobromine:

• Large quantities of Caffeine have shown decreased sperm counts in rats.
  
  
• Well controlled studies have suggested that 2% of miscarriages could be
  due to Caffeine in coffee.
  
  
• Dehydration headaches -- Most headaches (estimates range from 50% to 90%)
  are caused by dehydration, and one of the primary causes of dehydration in the
  USA is the large quantity of Caffeine that most people consume. (Caffeine
  laden drinks like CocaCola and Coffee don't quench your thirst, they actually
  increase it!)
  
  
• Heart trouble
  
  
• Stress
  

There are several minor psycoactive chemicals in Chocolate as well as
Theobromine: Phenylethylamine, Theophylline, Tele-methylhistamine
Phenyethylamine, affects mood swings by causing an initial emotional high then
a short time later an emotional low. It causes blood pressure and blood-sugar
levels to rise, resulting in a feeling of alertness and contentment.

It was once thought that Tea contained large amounts of Theophylline, however
it turns out that Tea contains significantly more amounts of caffeine than
theophylline.

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arhan

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