What Is Theobromine & What Foods Can I Find It In?

Theobromine is an alkaloid, mostly found in chocolate and cocoa beans.

It has a lesser but similar effect similar to that of caffeine in the human nervous system.

Theobromine is safe to consume and has fewer unwanted effects than caffeine.

Caffeine and theobromine are both xanthines.

There are large amounts of theobromine found in dark chocolate.

Theobromine A Bitter Powder

Theobromine is also known as Xantheose.

It is a water-insoluble, crystalline, bitter powder.

Theobromine is the bitter-tasting compound found in cocoa and chocolate.

Many Benefits Of Theobromine

It contains a lot of health benefits. You can check them out in Theobromine: 11 Research-Backed Benefits .

Theobromine and caffeine are psychoactive compounds.

It means that they influence our moods and our state of alertness in a positive way.

Theobromine, which is found in higher amounts than caffeine, seems to be behind several of the positive effects attributed to cocoa intake.

Theobromine is safe for humans and has fewer unwanted effects than caffeine. (source ◳)

Theobromine For Weight Loss

Theobromine has been suggested to have a role in weight regulation.

It has been reported to reduce body fat mass in humans, but this finding has not been confirmed in studies.

Theobromine In Chocolates

Theobromine is a compound found in dark and milk chocolates, but not in white chocolates.

But when nutrition and health promotion are of concern, sugar-free dark chocolates are recommended over milk and white chocolates.

Because of the higher amount of theobromine, and higher contents of antioxidant phenolic compounds. (source ◳)

Theobromine at normal intake ranges may contribute to the positive effects of chocolate.

But at higher intakes, the mood effects may become negative. (source ◳)

Theobromine is safe for humans

Theobromine in chocolate is safe to consume by humans.

But animals, such as dogs, metabolize theobromine more slowly, which may lead to theobromine poisoning. (source ◳)

When to be careful with Theobromine

Theobromine has been reported to stimulate lipolysis and increase plasma-free fatty acids, and therefore may be potentially harmful to persons with diabetes.

Foods You Can Find Theobromine In

You find Theobromine mostly in sweets, beverages, dairy and egg products.

Examples of food sources include

• Cocoa
• Cocoa Powder
• Liquid Baking Chocolate
• Baking Chocolate
• Dairy Drink Mix
• Dark Chocolate
• Cocoa Mix

Foods in our nutrition tool

You can find regularly updated top-ranked lists of foods for over 200+ nutrients in our nutrition tool.

If you are interested in what foods contain the most Theobromine, we recommend you visit our tool.

Here's our top-ranked list of foods that contain Theobromine.