Home / The types of poisonings: food, chemical, mushrooms etc. / Food poisoning: symptoms and treatment / A lethal dose of chocolate for humans: poisoning by chocolate

A lethal dose of chocolate for humans: poisoning by chocolate

Chocolate is a favorite by both adults and children a treat that has properties that make it not only delicious, but also useful product. But if you abuse them to harm? Poisoning with chocolate is a fantasy or reality? Because you can talk about lethal doses of red caviar, potatoes or tomatoes. However, statistics show that the poison can be absolutely any food, including chocolate, especially overdue, so this hypothesis certainly has the right to exist.

Useful properties of chocolate

Chocolate in the form which we are accustomed to eat, is produced in the form of confectionery, which is a chocolate mixture with sugar. Natural product has a bitter taste, and plenty to eat it will not even true gourmets. But candy, tiles and other sweet products away can be very difficult. However, the benefits of chocolate not only in his excellent taste and spicy combination of cocoa beans and sugar, but also valuable for the body properties, as listed below.

  1. High calorie content. Is an indispensable product for individuals experiencing intellectual activity or engaged in heavy physical labor.
  2. Antioxidants. Act as a protective barrier to cells, protecting them from free radicals, do not allow malignant tumors to develop in the body.
  3. Flavonoids. Prevent the formation of blood clots, are the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
  4. Caffeine (content in chocolate is 5 times less than in coffee) stimulates the vital functions of the body.
  5. Phenols protect the circulatory system from the "bad" cholesterol, inhibit the narrowing of blood vessels.
  6. Red blood cells are the prevention of anemia.
  7. Natural antiseptic. Scientists recommend to use in the season of colds and vitamin deficiency.
  8. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus activates the brain.

As you can see, products made from cocoa beans, is very useful. However, this does not mean that you can eat them in unlimited quantities. Chocolate poisoning can cause the body great harm.

What is the harm of chocolate

The composition of the cocoa bean includes a substance theobromine. It gives chocolate that incomparable bitter taste. A small dose of this element has beneficial effects on blood vessels, dilates them, stimulates the activity of the heart muscle. However, theobromine, in the same way as morphine or nicotine, belongs to the group of alkaloids. The optimal dose is usually 1.2%, increase in substance, on the one hand, makes the chocolate healthier, and on the other – may cause serious addiction. So, people who have not received their portion of your favorite delicacy, begins to experience a condition akin to "breaking".

Beans cocoa beans contain substances which include nitrogen compounds, not the best way affects the metabolic processes in the body. The chocolate is absolutely contraindicated for patients suffering from diabetes, allergies. Candies, chocolates and other chocolate products containing sugar, have a negative impact on tooth enamel and can promote tooth decay. In addition, sweet tooth, who love to eat chocolate at night, due to the increased content of sugar, vegetable fats and caffeine, the risk of getting a nervous breakdown, insomnia, and headache. And it is not recommended to persons inclined to obesity, as it is in calories and helps to increase extra pounds.

When chocolate poisoning in humans can manifest the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, abnormal heart rhythm until the heart attack. If you experience these symptoms you should immediately wash out the stomach and take activated carbon or any other sorbent.

When thinking about whether you can be poisoned by chocolate, you need to understand that products made from cacao beans is not a meal, but a gourmet delicacy. No matter how sweet and tasty it was, the stomach will not be able to take it in large volume, sooner or later will come satiety, and even disgust of his favorite candies. Besides a tasty product is useful only in small quantities. Excessive consumption causes health irreparable harm – the various diseases of the body. But as far as death by chocolate, it still has not died. Judge for yourself: a lethal dose of chocolate for humans is 3 grams per one kilogram of weight at one time. In other words, if you weight 60 kg person should eat about 15 kg of sugar! Hardly anyone of us, even pathological sweet tooth, is capable of such "feats". The best that can the body to take at once 500 grams of sweets. Poison this chocolate is impossible, but even this dose will do more harm than good.

Chocolate for children

For kids brown sweetness is more dangerous than for adults. The confectionery industry offers little sweet tooth a wide range of products made of cacao beans, which is a great temptation. While dark chocolate is not for kids of interest because of specific taste, which is not true of all kinds of chocolates, candy fillings, candy bars and other sweets with different additives.

Aboutwhat serious harm is a chocolate for children first began after a sensational article on a famous popular science website. It was presented the exact dose of chocolate, can cause irreparable harm to the child 10 years of age: 2 grams treats 1 pounds, or 7 kilograms of products from cocoa beans, which equals 500 tiles made of natural dark chocolate or milk 1000.

Many parents are so seriously this information that forbade his children to eat chocolate at all. This was largely due to the fact that the article was published on the eve of Halloween, the holiday when the kids gorge on chocolate without restrictions. However, not all so pessimistic, because experience proves that even the most notorious sweet teeth with more than enough of the two tiles.

We can say that these articles only suggest possible developments, which in usual life, most likely, will remain assumptions. Without a doubt, chocolate is a delicious treat that bring people pleasure and joy. So let's enjoy the positive emotions from the use of this confectionery masterpiece, and to enjoy life, to combine the pleasant with the useful. Moderation, and then your health will be fine!