Theobromine – The Ultimate Guide and Review

Medically reviewed by Jessica Pyhtila, PharmD, BCGP, BCPS.

Nutritionally reviewed by Diana Lee, RD.

Theobromine is a xanthine alkaloid found naturally in the cacao plant, from which chocolate is made. Theobromine may be a healthier version of caffeine and may actually provide health benefits related to cognition and the cardiovascular system. Here we’ll examine theobromine’s sources, benefits, effects, mechanisms, and more.

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In a hurry? Here are the highlights:

• Theobromine is a methylxanthine similar to caffeine that is found in the cacao plant, from which chocolate is made.
• It gives chocolate its bitter taste; naturally, darker chocolate contains much more theobromine than milk chocolate.
• Theobromine has evidence of promoting wakefulness, lowering blood pressure, and improving blood flow, mood, and respiratory health.
• Theobromine should offer milder, longer-acting effects than caffeine, and with fewer adverse side effects.
• Theobromine is highly toxic to animals.

Product Mentions:

– Raw cacao powder on Amazon
– Theobromine capsules on Amazon

What is Theobromine?

Theobromine is a compound existing in the highest quantities in the cacao plant (theobroma cacao), from which chocolate is made. Theobromine is a xanthine alkaloid similar in structure and effect to caffeine. Like Dynamine®, theobromine is a purine alkoloid. Theobromine can be found in smaller amounts in the kola nut, guarana, yerba mate, and certain tea leaves^​1​.

Theobromine itself is a white or off-white crystalline powder, and is responsible for giving dark chocolate its bitter taste. Darker chocolate with higher cacao content is more bitter because of its higher theobromine content^​1​.

Theobromine Benefits

Theobromine may:

• Promote wakefulness, motivation, and alertness^​2–4​.
• Lower blood pressure^​5–7​.
• Improve blood flow^​5–7​.
• Increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol^​8​.
• Enhance cognition^​2,9​.
• Improve respiratory health^​5,10​.
• Strengthen tooth enamel^{​11–15​}.
• Improve mood^{​2–4,9​}.
• Reduce inflammation^​2,3,9​.
• Protect against kidney stones^​16​.

Theobromine’s Mechanism of Action – How Does It Work?

Theobromine shares the same mechanism as caffeine – inhibiting adenosine receptors, thereby promoting wakefulness and alertness^​2​.

Theobromine Structure

Theobromine is a dimethylxanthine with two methyl groups at positions 3 and 7, and is thus also known as 3,7-dimethylxanthine^​17​.

Theobromine Half-Life

Theobromine has a half-life in humans of about 7 hours, with peak concentration at about 2 hours following ingestion^{​18–20​}.

Theobromine’s half-life in dogs is about 18 hours^​21​.

Theobromine Dosage

One clinical study noted positive objective and subjective effects for participants from dosages up to 250mg, with negative subjective effects on mood from higher doses^​2​. These results are illustrated below.

However, anecdotal evidence exists for people enjoying the effects of a 400mg theobromine supplement per se.

Theobromine Side Effects

Side effects from theobromine are rare and dose-dependent and, similar to caffeine, include headaches and nausea^​2​.

Theobromine in Chocolate

Theobromine is found in the highest concentrations in the cacao bean, from which chocolate is made. Higher cacao percentage chocolate (progressively darker) has higher theobromine levels, with raw cacao powder being the highest at 20mg/g. Milk chocolate contains 2mg theobromine per 1g of chocolate. Dark chocolate contains on average 9mg/g^​20,22​. White chocolate contains only trace amounts of theobromine because it contains no cocoa solids^​23​.

Theobromine in Coffee

Theobromine is found in very small concentrations (0.2%) in green coffee beans, tea, and yerba mate, but is not found in “normal” black coffee^​22,23​.

Theobromine in Foods

Theobromine is found in the following foods, from greatest to least concentration:

• raw cacao beans, nibs, and powder
• processed cocoa and dark chocolate products
• milk chocolate
• black tea
• chocolate pudding, cereal, cake mix, candy, ice cream, syrup, etc.

Theobromine Poisoning

In humans, the lowest published toxic dose (TD_Lo, the lowest recorded dose where toxicity symptoms appeared) is 16mg/kg bodyweight. This is a little over 1g for a 150 lb. human. The median lethal dose (LD₅₀) is 1000mg/kg bodyweight^​17​.

First signs of theobromine poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, progressing to cardiac arrhythmias, epileptic seizures, internal bleeding, heart attacks, and eventually death^​17​.

Theobromine in Dogs

Theobromine poisoning in dogs happens frequently and quickly. This is why you commonly hear that “dogs can’t eat chocolate.” Absorption and metabolism of theobromine is much slower in dogs than in humans, with a half-life of about 18 hours in dogs^​21​.

Signs of theobromine poisoning in dogs include vomiting, haematemesis, polydipsia, hyperexcitability, hyperirritability, tachycardia, excessive panting, ataxia, and muscle twitching, progressing to cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, and death. These symptoms can potentially begin within a few hours of ingestion and can persist for up to 72 hours. There is no specific antidote, but treatment protocol usually consists of induced vomiting and administration of activated charcoal, oxygen, benzodiazepines for seizures, antiarrhythmics for heart arrhythmia, and intravenous fluids^​21,24​.

Domestic animals can easily eat enough chocolate to be fatal. The lowest recorded toxic dose of theobromine in dogs is 16mg/kg bodyweight, with a median lethal dose of 300mg/kg bodyweight. For a 50 lb. dog, that’s about 360mg and 6800mg respectively.

Theobromine concentrations are higher in certain types of chocolate. Higher cacao percentage chocolate (progressively darker) has higher theobromine levels, with raw cacao powder being the highest at 20mg/g. Milk chocolate contains 2mg theobromine per 1g of chocolate. Dark chocolate contains on average 9mg/g^​21,25​. As such, dark chocolate is far more toxic to animals than milk chocolate. White chocolate contains only trace amounts of theobromine^​26​.

Doing some math, this means that for a 50 lb. dog, just 50g of dark chocolate can be potentially fatal. Smaller dogs would obviously be susceptible to smaller amounts. Cats are even more susceptible, but are less likely to eat chocolate because cats are unable to taste sweetness^​27​.

To be safe, keep any and all chocolate-containing foods away from your pets, including cocoa powder, cocoa cereals, chocolate ice cream, chocolate milk, chococlate chips, chocolate candy, etc.

Theobromine vs. Caffeine

Theobromine and caffeine are both known as methylxanthines. Theobromine is actually a byproduct of caffeine metabolism. They both exert their CNS-enhancing effects by inhibiting adenosine receptors, however theobromine does so more weakly than caffeine. As such, theobromine should exhibit less tolerance buildup and fewer adverse side effects than caffeine. Theobromine is less likely to cross the blood-brain barrier and thus has less effect on the CNS.

Theobromine also has less effect on the cardiovascular system than caffeine, and theobromine’s cardiovascular effects are generally positive, whereas caffeine’s are generally negative. These properties make it similar to Dynamine® and TeaCrine®. Theobromine’s CNS effects are milder and longer-acting than caffeine^​1,2,4​.

Theobromine and Blood Pressure

Theobromine is also vasodilatory and can lower blood pressure, as opposed to caffeine typically being vasoconstrictive and raising blood pressure^{​5–7,28​}. Studies have noted that raw cacao powder (high theobromine content) reliably exerts these effects to a greater extent in cases of high blood pressure than in people with normal blood pressure^{​6,29,30​}.

Theobromine for Cough, Asthma, COPD, and More

Theobromine and theophylline have shown promising antitussive effects for a range of respiratory diseases including acute and persistent coughing, asthma COPD, bronchitis, and more, due to their bronchodilation, airway expansion, arterial pressure decreasing, anti-inflammatory, and mucus clearing effects. Treatment with methylxanthines is a viable alternative to traditional codeine cough syrups that have undesirable side effects and taste^{​31–38​}.

Researchers have also noted that theobromine and other methylxanthines seem to actually regulate and disrupt the neurological channels involved in coughing^{​31–36​}. Anecdotal reports seem to corroborate this, with people claiming that consuming raw cacao powder (high theobromine content) decreases their coughing.

Theobromine and Weight Loss

Diet pills are increasingly including theobromine in their formulations, likely because of extrapolation from a single study showing potential weight loss and lipid metabolism improvement in rats. Not enough evidence exists to suggest that theobromine may be useful for weight loss^​39,40​.

Theobromine vs. Theophylline

Theophylline is another member of the methylxanthine family. It appears to offer similar ameliorative effects to theobromine for blood pressure and respiratory health^{​31–33​}. Theophylline is actually an FDA-approved medication for asthma and other respiratory disorders^​41​.

Theophylline’s half-life of 8 hours in human adults is slightly longer than that of theobromine^​32,33​. It can potentially be much longer in some people with thyroid dysfunction or liver problems^​41​.

Theobromine and Rutaecarpine

Like caffeine, theobromine is metabolized primarily in the liver by the enzymes CYP1A2 and CYP2E1^​42​. As such, rutaecarpine should limit theobromine’s exposure and expedite its excretion just as it does with caffeine.

Theobromine Review

My experience with theobromine has basically mirrored what I’ve described above – a milder, longer-acting caffeine, not unlike theacrine, that boosts mood, motivation, alertness, and energy. I’ve also utilized raw cacao powder in my morning coffee for years now along with mushroom powder.

Theobromine Supplements

A few options for theobromine supplements exist. First, you can obviously just use raw cacao powder, in which we know theobromine is found in the highest concentrations. Raw cacao is also rich in minerals, antioxidants, and polyphenols. Add it to your morning coffee. A potential problem with this approach is we don’t know the specific theobromine content of cacao powder products.

Another option is to supplement Theobromine directly with 400mg capsules from Nutricost on Amazon.

Medical Disclaimer:  While I love diving into and extracting useful information from clinical research related to health, fitness, supplements, and more, I am in no way a medical expert. The content on this website is for informational purposes only; it is not professional medical advice, nor is it a substitute for professional medical advice. None of the statements on this website have been evaluated by the FDA. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Read my lengthier medical disclaimer here.