Headaches and Chocolate

Hello all,

I haven't been on in a while.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with headaches being caused by chocolate? It is strange, but I am starting to believe that chocolate is a culprit. Anybody have words of wisdom to offer?

Hello,

It is a well study and well known fact that chocolate, along with several other triggering items found in our diet, are indeed a "culprit" in causing headaches, specifically migraine headaches. It is thought that the ingredient in chocolate phenylethylamine or PEA is the cause. PEA tends to cause blood vessels to expand and contract, which is a trigger for those having migraines. However, not all sufferers from migraine headaches respond to chocolate in this way. Some actually do not respond in this way and do respond with the other side effects of chocolate which can be stress relief, mood enhancing, etc. This is not a license to indulge in chocolate, but a note stating that all things in moderation are usually OK, unless there is an underlying condition of course.

In your case, if you are experiencing more frequent or severe headaches as a result of eating chocolate then I would stay away. I also recommend boxing up all your chocolate and mailing it to me at once, just to be safe! =)

Dr. Jacob
Green Chiropractic Clinic

Chocolate is a trigger for some migraineurs, and not for others

Chocolate and headache are often linked, and it's true that chocolate is a trigger for some people. But read on! Many people who think they should avoid chocolate may not have to. Others will simply have to
avoid it no matter what. But for some, the chocolate and headache link may be that chocolate gets rid of the headache once it starts.
The culprit may be phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA is the chemical in chocolate that may cause the blood
vessels to expand and contract. However, it's also a natural mood enhancer, stress reliever and memory enhancer. So once again, it may have more good than bad for some people. The chocolate and headache
connection is still unclear.

(03-10-2010 07:48 AM)valganner Wrote:  Chocolate is a trigger for some migraineurs, and not for others

Chocolate and headache are often linked, and it's true that chocolate is a trigger for some people. But read on! Many people who think they should avoid chocolate may not have to. Others will simply have to
avoid it no matter what. But for some, the chocolate and headache link may be that chocolate gets rid of the headache once it starts.
The culprit may be phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA is the chemical in chocolate that may cause the blood
vessels to expand and contract. However, it's also a natural mood enhancer, stress reliever and memory enhancer. So once again, it may have more good than bad for some people. The chocolate and headache
connection is still unclear.

I guess I will keep my chocolate addiction, then! I do not notice headaches when I eat chocolate, but I will say I get headaches if I miss my morning cup of coffee! Kind of scary how the body gets so used to something.

This is interesting, because of course chocolate also contains caffeine, which in turn causes headaches for a lot of people...

I wonder if there are differences, in this instance, between milk and dark chocolate? The reason I ask is because recent studies have convinced some researchers that the higher the cocoa content in chocolate, the better the health benefit is supposed to be. Conversely, I wonder if this has anything to do with the opposite effects--i.e. less cocoa, more side effects such as headaches?

How much water do you drink? Although chocolate contains caffeine, PEA, and the biggest culprit of all, sugar, I'm wondering if you just started experiencing these symptoms or has anything else in your diet changed? Have you increased the amount of chocolate you consume? What time of day do you eat the chocolate? Sugary snacks can cause all sorts of trouble, especially if you don't drink much water.

I have yet to figure it out. I am physically active so I drink lots of water but if I touch even a small bit of chocolate, my head will be killing me. I don't go for anything with much sugar because that is not good for the body.

Time of day might cause the problem for some people but it doesn't matter for me. I simply feel miserable noon, afternoon or night when I have it. I am just doing my best to avoid it all together.