Articles

Theobromine and Chocolate

Whilst dogs lack the enzymes necessary to metabolize theobromine, rats and humans do not.

Theobromine in cacao is between 0.9 and 2.35%. White chocolate has only trace amounts of theobromine.

Raw cacao contains essential fatty acids that haven't been damaged during the fermentation and roasting process normally used in producing commercial chocolate.

An experiment was conducted to measure the excitation of the nervous system after consuming raw and cooked cacao beans. When the roasted beans were consumed, it produced an excitation of the nervous system similar to that caused by drinking black coffee along with an accelerated pulse rate. When the raw, unroasted beans were ingested, neither of the previous effects were noticeable. This led researchers to conclude that the physical effects of cacao were caused by the change in the aromatic substances only released during roasting.

Cacao is high in anti-oxidants, and the minerals maganesium and sulphur.

Theobromine has an anti-asthmatic effect as it relaxes the bronchial muscles.

This does not mean we should go and feed our rats lots of chocolate, cooked or raw. It merely means that in small doses, chocolate can be tolerated by and may even be beneficial in some instances for fancy rats.

Copyright A Neuman