Can You Die From Eating Too Much Chocolate?
You can die from eating too much chocolate but it is very much unlikely because for a chocolate overdose you will have to eat a lot of chocolate bars; at least eight five bars to cause theobromine poisoning resulting in trembling, sweating, and in the end causing you to die.
With all this chocolate floating around, it is interesting to think about if eating too much of the treat could get you killed. Eating too much chocolate may lead to discomfort in the digestive tract, since caffeine is an acidic substance by nature. Chocolate contains caffeine, so those who drink coffee will get jittery after eating chocolate.
Too much chocolate–85 bars, to be precise–will lead to theobromine poisoning, which gives you symptoms like those experienced with a caffeine overdose: shaking, extreme sweating, and a bad headache. As in the case with the caffeine, eating this much chocolate and keeping it down will be tough, but theobromine gives a better chance of dying from chocolate than caffeine.
It still takes maybe one pound of pure chocolate to kill one person using theobromine poisoning. In general, the amounts of theobromine found in chocolate are low enough that humans can safely consume chocolate at negligible risk for poisoning. In dogs, however, theobromine found in chocolate can be far more lethal, with even a moderate amount capable of causing severe harm. Serious poisoning occurs most often in pet animals, who have much slower metabolism of theobromine than humans, and could easily consume enough chocolate to produce toxicity.
In some cases, consumption of 70g theobromine may lead to death due to heart failure, dehydration, and seizures. Someone who is highly sensitive to theobromine can still die after eating large amounts of chocolate, and eating extremely dark chocolate may make this even more likely. Basically, in general, it is not really possible that people will die of chocolate-related causes due to caffeine or theobromine, but given the extent of polymorphism among humans, the extent to which some people are chocolate-crazy, the existence of caffeine and theobromine both in chocolate, and an increased appetite for dark chocolate, I would assume that there are some people who really do die of chocolate-eating.
| Can Chocolate Kill You? | |
| 85 Bars of Chocolate | May result in theobromine poisoning. |
| 70g of Theobromine | Ingesting 70g of theobromine can lead to death by cardiac failure, dehydration and seizures |
While eating chocolate has been shown to be beneficial for your health, this does not mean eating more chocolate is going to provide even more benefits. So, you can still get all of chocolates wonderful health benefits, but remove all the risks. Watch out for any negative reactions, and work with your health care provider to determine whether eating chocolate is right for you. If you notice that you are experiencing any negative digestive effects after eating chocolate, it is best to talk with a physician or health care provider to see what is going on in your body while eating chocolate.
The best thing you can do for your body is only consume small, portion-controlled amounts of chocolate at a time. On a bad day, you may consume a handful of a favorite bar of chocolate, and perhaps you will feel a bit bad about that — but do not beat yourself up too much — you will have to consume 85 bars before you will die. At least we can take solace in the fact that you would need around 85 full-size chocolate bars to go this bad. Consuming about 85 full-size dark chocolate bars per day over a brief period could kill someone.
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If you consume dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate, then you do not get caffeine from it. Since dark chocolate has a higher quantity of cacao than milk chocolate, that is a better choice for getting the health benefits of cacao from each bite.
One study found that dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content also helps increase HDL, or good cholesterol, and also decreases the waistline of women. According to the American Heart Association, women who eat two daily servings of dark chocolate, approximately 2 ounces, have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. Eating dark chocolate may help lower blood pressure if you have moderately high blood pressure, researchers said in a Journal of the American Medical Association report, if you balance out the extra calories by eating less of other things. According to countless dietitians and health experts, as well as myriad studies, chocolate actually does quite a bit for your bodys health.
Chocolate is a delicious treat, but consumed in excessive amounts, it can cause health problems like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, kidney stones, gallstones, gout, and even depression. Over time, eating too much chocolate or other foods that contain added sugars may cause weight gain, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other chronic conditions, says T.H. Not only can excessive intake of such chocolate cause weight gain, it also raises the persons blood sugar, which may be hazardous to those diagnosed with diabetes.
The biggest is the weight gain from the calories and sugar consumed, leading to problems including heart-related illnesses (far more than any supposed benefits from eating chocolate, according to The Washington Post). Chocolate overdoses may cause insomnia, anxiety, irritability, anxiety, and even hallucinations. If you eat too much chocolate, you may experience symptoms like headaches, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and even heart palpitations. Eating a lot can trigger caffeine-related side effects, such as nervousness, increased urine output, difficulty sleeping, and increased heartbeat.
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See, when your brain gets a taste of highly-palatable foods, such as chocolate, the drive to eat more increases dramatically. When you eat chocolate, your brain starts to release these feel-good chemicals, such as dopamine, that literally make you feel happier when you are eating. Chocolate contains Phenylethylamine, which is also released into your brain during moments of emotional euphoria.
Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, PEA, a chemical that produces feelings of euphoria and excitement. Phenylethylamine PEA is released into your bloodstream when you eat chocolate, which causes the production of a surge in dopamine, the neurotransmitter that produces feelings of pleasure. Caffeine is naturally found in cacao beans, so a small amount of chocolate contains a small amount of stimulant.
If we switched to weaker chocolates like milk chocolate, which is commonly found in Easter candy, our lady chocolate-loving self probably had to consume the equivalent of her own bodyweight worth of chocolate in order to come close to having a 50% chance of dying of caffeine poisoning. With this being said, there is likely no way anyone could chomp down on chocolate alone and not end up dead. You are much more likely to end up in an ER with a seriously tummy-troubling condition (probably vomiting) from overdosing on chocolate than dying. As a professional chocolatemaker, I have spent lots of time researching chocolate and all its benefits, side effects, whether or not it could get worse, whether or not it might harm consumers somehow, etc.
How much chocolate is poisonous to humans?
Fortunately, 1000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight is the median lethal dose for people. Since dark chocolate typically contains 14 milligrams of theobromine per gram, an 80 kg person would need to consume 5.7 kilograms of the substance to die.
what happens if you eat too much chocolate in one day?
One of the main ingredients of chocolate is theobromine, which is a colorless alkaloid. Sometimes, the overdose of theobromine present in chocolate can be the reason for several side effects such as theobromine poisoning. The symptoms of theobromine poising can be jitters, seizures, sweating, and headaches – this may differ from person to person.
Has anyone died from eating too much chocolate?
If you’re wondering how many chocolates are too much, then the answer is 80 to 90 chocolates. Consumption of these chocolates can cause theobromine poisoning. Consuming more than 70 grams of theobromine can lead to several harmful symptoms, and one side effect can be death due to cardiac failure, or seizures.