Health effects of chocolate facts for kids

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Chocolate is a yummy treat that many people enjoy. But have you ever wondered how eating chocolate affects your body? Like any food, chocolate can have both good and not-so-good effects on your health.

Eating a lot of any food that has a lot of energy (calories), like chocolate, without also being active, can make you gain weight. Raw chocolate has a lot of cocoa butter, which is a type of fat. Manufacturers often add more fats, sugar, and powdered milk to chocolate products.

Scientists have done a lot of research to see if chocolate has health benefits. However, there aren't enough studies yet to say for sure that chocolate helps with specific health problems. No health organization has officially approved any health claims about chocolate.

History of Chocolate

The cacao tree grows seeds that contain special plant chemicals called flavanols. For about 2000 years, ancient civilizations like the Aztecs, Olmec, and Maya in Central and South America used these seeds to make drinks. They believed these drinks could help with illnesses or give them energy. However, there's no scientific proof for these old beliefs.

In the 1800s, chocolate became a solid food. People started adding milk and sugar to create milk chocolate, which has more fat and sugar. Sometimes, studies funded by chocolate companies have suggested health benefits for these products, but these claims are often not fully proven.

How Chocolate Affects Your Body

Chocolate and Skin Problems

It's not clear if eating chocolate causes acne (pimples). Many studies suggest that acne might be more linked to foods high in sugar or simple carbohydrates, like corn syrup, rather than chocolate itself. Other things in your diet might also play a role.

Can You Get Addicted to Chocolate?

Food, including chocolate, is not usually seen as something you can get truly addicted to. However, some people really want or crave chocolate a lot. They might even call themselves "chocoholics"!

Chocolate and Weight Gain

How chocolate affects your body weight isn't fully understood. A worry is that eating too much chocolate can lead to eating too many calories. This can cause weight gain, which is a risk for many health problems, including heart disease. So, eating a lot of dark chocolate to try and protect your heart might actually make you gain weight because of all the extra calories.

Chocolate and Your Mood

Some people believe that chocolate can make you feel better or help you think more clearly. This is a popular idea, but there isn't much scientific proof that these effects happen for everyone who eats chocolate. If chocolate does improve your mood, scientists aren't sure if it's because it tastes good or because of chemicals like caffeine or theobromine that are found in it.

Chocolate and Your Heart

Some studies show that eating cocoa products can lower blood pressure for a short time. However, there's no strong proof that it helps your heart health in the long run. While eating a small amount of cocoa flavanols every day might help your blood and blood vessels work better, there's no good evidence that it prevents heart attacks or strokes.

Tiny Amounts of Lead in Chocolate

Scientists study very small amounts of substances like lead in food to make sure it's safe, especially for children. It's very unlikely that eating small amounts of chocolate would cause lead poisoning.

Some studies have looked at how lead might get into chocolate, perhaps from cocoa shells or during the making process. One study found very tiny amounts of lead in milk chocolate bars. Another study found slightly higher amounts in some chocolate bought in U.S. supermarkets, but these levels were still usually below the international guideline for lead in cocoa powder or beans.

In 2006, the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) suggested even lower amounts of lead in candy, but following this rule is voluntary. Scientists continue to study this to ensure chocolate remains safe for everyone, especially kids who love it.

Special Chemicals in Chocolate

Chocolate contains plant chemicals called polyphenols, especially a type called flavan-3-ols. These chemicals are being studied to see how they might affect the body. Chocolate also contains theobromine.

Here's a table showing how much of these chemicals are in different types of chocolate:

Chocolate and Other Animals

The theobromine found in chocolate can be toxic (poisonous) to many animals, like cats, dogs, horses, parrots, and small rodents. This is because their bodies can't break down this chemical as well as humans can.

If these animals eat chocolate, the theobromine can stay in their bodies for a long time, sometimes up to 20 hours. This can cause serious problems like seizures, heart attacks, internal bleeding, and even death.

If an animal eats chocolate, a veterinarian might try to make them vomit if it's soon after they ate it. They might also give medicines to help with seizures or heart problems.

For example, a dog weighing about 20-kilogram (44 lb) might get an upset stomach from eating less than 240 grams (8.5 oz) of dark chocolate. But it would need to eat about half a kilogram (1.1 lb) of milk chocolate to have more serious heart problems. Dark chocolate has 2 to 5 times more theobromine than milk chocolate, so it's much more dangerous for dogs.

According to veterinary experts, just about 1.3 grams of baker's chocolate per kilogram of a dog's body weight (0.02 oz/lb) can cause signs of poisoning. So, a typical 25-gram (0.88 oz) bar of baker's chocolate could make a 20-kilogram (44 lb) dog sick. Dogs often love the taste of chocolate and might eat a lot if they find it, which is why it's so important to keep chocolate away from them. Even mulch made from cacao bean shells can be dangerous for dogs and farm animals.