Theobromine

Q: Does theobromine raise HDL cholesterol?

At 850 mg a day it raised HDL by 0.16 mmol/L in 152 healthy adults over 4 weeks (grade B). At 500 mg a day in people with low HDL, HDL did not rise significantly, though LDL fell.

Q: Does theobromine lower blood pressure?

Not in the trials we found: about 1,000 mg a day raised 24-hour systolic pressure by 3.2 mm Hg, natural cocoa amounts had no effect, and 450 mg a day with a diet did not change pressure.

Q: Can theobromine improve focus or energy?

Not at food-level doses: 100 to 400 mg did not change mood or vigilance. Above 250 mg, one trial found worse mood and a higher heart rate.

Q: Does theobromine help a cough?

A small placebo-controlled study found it reduced cough triggered by capsaicin, and lab work showed it calms cough-sensing nerves. It is not an approved cough medicine, and larger trials were not found in our sources.

Q: Does theobromine help weight loss?

In 72 adults with metabolic syndrome on a low-calorie diet, 450 mg a day trimmed waist size by 0.86 cm more than placebo but did not change body weight.

Q: Is theobromine safe?

A toxicology review describes its effects as considerably weaker than caffeine's. In trials, higher doses raised heart rate and 24-hour blood pressure and worsened after-meal glucose. It passes into breast milk, and no trial has tested supplements in pregnancy. It is the main toxin in chocolate poisoning of dogs.

Q: How much theobromine is in chocolate?

One study estimated about 250 mg of theobromine and 19 mg of caffeine in a 50 g bar; a cocoa drink in another trial naturally provided 150 mg.

Q: Is theobromine like caffeine?

It is a close chemical relative and binds the same adenosine receptors, but its effects are considerably weaker. At 100 to 400 mg it did not change mood or vigilance, while 100 mg of caffeine did.

Also called 3,7-dimethylxanthine.

Best grade B across 8 graded outcomes Other Last checked Oct 21, 2026

The short answer

From 17 sources

Theobromine is the caffeine-like compound in cocoa. At 850 mg a day it raised HDL cholesterol in a 152-person trial (grade B), but 500 mg a day did not raise HDL in people with low HDL and worsened after-meal glucose. Food-level doses did not change mood or alertness, and near 1,000 mg it raised blood pressure and heart rate.

Every graded outcome on this page

8 rows · line = participants

Grade BHDL cholesterol in healthy adultsCholesteroln 152
Grade CMood, alertness and heart rate across dosesMood and alertnessn 80
Grade CWaist and cholesterol ratios with a low-calorie dietCholesteroln 72
Grade CFasting and after-meal lipids and glucose in people with low HDLCholesteroln 44
Grade CBlood vessel function in overweight and obese adultsBlood vesselsn 44
Grade C24-hour and central blood pressure (theobromine-enriched cocoa)Blood pressuren 42
Grade DUric acid crystallization risk with citrate plus theobromineKidney stonesn 47
Grade DMood and vigilance at food-level dosesMood and alertnessn 24
5 more graded outcomes, in the evidence chapter

Key facts

What it is: 3,7-dimethylxanthine (C₇H₈N₄O₂), a methylxanthine like caffeine with considerably weaker pharmacological effects, according to a toxicology review^1,2
How much is in chocolate: About 250 mg of theobromine with 19 mg of caffeine in a 50 g chocolate bar, the amount used in one liking experiment; a cocoa drink in another trial provided 150 mg^10,3
Strongest human evidence: HDL cholesterol (B): 850 mg a day of pure theobromine raised HDL by 0.16 mmol/L in 4 weeks in 152 healthy adults, while cocoa itself did not³
Mixed lipid results: In 44 people with low HDL, 500 mg a day lowered LDL by 0.21 mmol/L but did not significantly raise HDL, raised hsCRP and worsened after-meal glucose and insulin⁴
Blood pressure: A drink with 979 mg theobromine raised 24-hour systolic pressure by 3.2 mm Hg vs placebo in 42 people with high-normal pressure, though central pressure was lower 2 hours after⁶
Mood and alertness: 100 to 400 mg did not change mood or vigilance in 24 men; in 80 adults, 250 mg had limited effects and higher doses worsened mood and raised heart rate^9,8
Cough: In a small placebo-controlled study, theobromine reduced capsaicin-induced cough without adverse effects; it is not an approved cough medicine¹²

What it is

Theobromine is a methylxanthine found in high levels in cocoa and chocolate, a weaker chemical relative of caffeine.

How it works

Proposed

Theobromine is a methylxanthine that, like caffeine, crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds adenosine receptors, but its pharmacological effects are considerably weaker than those of caffeine or theophylline. In laboratory work it inhibited activation of cough-sensing (vagal) nerves. How it raises HDL cholesterol at high doses is not established; it did not improve HDL-mediated cholesterol efflux in one crossover trial.^9,2,12,11

Forms side by side: cocoa, pure theobromine and blends

3 forms named in our sources. The rest show what our data holds, and say plainly where it holds nothing yet.

Theobromine forms compared

3 forms

Theobromine forms compared: 3 forms by 3 attributes. Empty cells are labelled No data yet, or Not graded in the evidence row.
3 forms	Cocoa and dark chocolate	Pure theobromine capsules or powder	In combination products
Absorption in people	A cocoa drink naturally providing 150 mg theobromine did not raise HDL, and natural-dose cocoa (106 mg) did not change blood pressure.^3,6	Raised saliva theobromine dose-dependently from 100 to 400 mg.⁹	No head-to-head human data.¹³
GI tolerance	Comes with caffeine (about 19 mg per 50 g chocolate in the cited study) and the food's sugar and fat.¹⁰	Doses above 250 mg worsened mood and raised heart rate in one trial; 979 mg a day raised 24-hour blood pressure.^8,6	No adverse effects reported in the citrate trial abstract.¹³
Studied for	Liking for chocolate; lipid and blood-pressure trials as the cocoa arm	HDL cholesterol (B at 850 mg); lipids and vessels (C at 450 to 500 mg)	Uric acid crystallization (no significant benefit over citrate, D)

Cocoa and dark chocolate
Absorption in people
A cocoa drink naturally providing 150 mg theobromine did not raise HDL, and natural-dose cocoa (106 mg) did not change blood pressure.^3,6
GI tolerance
Comes with caffeine (about 19 mg per 50 g chocolate in the cited study) and the food's sugar and fat.¹⁰
Studied for
Liking for chocolate; lipid and blood-pressure trials as the cocoa arm
Pure theobromine capsules or powder
Absorption in people
Raised saliva theobromine dose-dependently from 100 to 400 mg.⁹
GI tolerance
Doses above 250 mg worsened mood and raised heart rate in one trial; 979 mg a day raised 24-hour blood pressure.^8,6
Studied for
HDL cholesterol (B at 850 mg); lipids and vessels (C at 450 to 500 mg)
Theobromine in combination products
Absorption in people
No head-to-head human data.¹³
GI tolerance
No adverse effects reported in the citrate trial abstract.¹³
Studied for
Uric acid crystallization (no significant benefit over citrate, D)

What the human research says

Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form line shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.

Trial map

8 graded outcomes, largest study first

8 graded outcomes: 2 improved, 3 mixed, 3 no effect. The largest, a 2013 randomized trial of 152 people on HDL cholesterol in healthy adults, found an improvement.

By sizeTable

1HDL cholesterol in healthy adults

Improved · Grade B · RCT, 152 people, 2013

Healthy men and women aged 40 to 70 at two centres (factorial design)

Dose, result and source

Every graded outcome on this page, largest study first
Outcome	Found	People	Study	Who was studied
HDL cholesterol in healthy adults	Improved	152	Grade B · RCT, 2013	Healthy men and women aged 40 to 70 at two centres (factorial design)
Mood, alertness and heart rate across doses	Mixed	80	Grade C · Crossover RCT, 2013	Healthy adults (within-subject design)
Waist and cholesterol ratios with a low-calorie diet	Improved	72	Grade C · RCT, 2023	Overweight or obese adults aged 40 to 55 with metabolic syndrome (80 randomized)
Uric acid crystallization risk with citrate plus theobromine	No effect	47	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2020	Patients with uric acid kidney stones
Blood vessel function in overweight and obese adults	No effect	44	Grade C · Crossover RCT, 2019	Overweight (30) and obese (14) men and women with low HDL cholesterol
Fasting and after-meal lipids and glucose in people with low HDL	Mixed	44	Grade C · Crossover RCT, 2018	Healthy men and women with low HDL cholesterol
24-hour and central blood pressure (theobromine-enriched cocoa)	Mixed	42	Grade C · Crossover RCT, 2010	Healthy adults (mean age 62, 32 men) with office pressure 130 to 159/85 to 99 mm Hg
Mood and vigilance at food-level doses	No effect	24	Grade D · Crossover RCT, 2013	Young men (mean age 23)

Every graded row

8 rows

Form tested

Showing 8 of 8 outcomes. Human trials only.

Grade BHDL cholesterol in healthy adultsCholesterolHDL +0.16 mmol/LRCT
n 152 · 2013

Improved Theobromine raised HDL cholesterol by 0.16 mmol/L (P < 0.0001) and apolipoprotein A-I, and lowered apolipoprotein B and LDL cholesterol; cocoa itself had no significant effect on HDL and there was no interaction.

Design: RCT, n = 152, 2013
Population: Healthy men and women aged 40 to 70 at two centres (factorial design)
Form: Pure theobromine (850 mg) and/or cocoa (150 mg natural theobromine) vs placebo drink
Dose: 850 mg/day pure theobromine; 1,000 mg/day with cocoa
Duration: 4 weeks
Source: Reference 3 · PubMed 23595874 (opens PubMed)

Grade CMood, alertness and heart rate across dosesMood and alertnessWorse mood above 250 mgCrossover RCT
n 80 · 2013

Mixed Theobromine had limited subjective effects at 250 mg and negative mood effects at higher doses, and raised heart rate dose-dependently; caffeine had its expected alerting effects.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 80, 2013
Population: Healthy adults (within-subject design)
Form: Theobromine 250, 500 or 1,000 mg vs placebo, with 200 mg caffeine as active control
Dose: Single doses of 250, 500 and 1,000 mg
Duration: Single test sessions
Source: Reference 8 · PubMed 23420115 (opens PubMed)

Grade CWaist and cholesterol ratios with a low-calorie dietCholesterolWaist −0.86 cm; HDL +1.72 mg/dLRCT
n 72 · 2023

Improved Compared with placebo, waist circumference fell 0.86 cm more, HDL rose 1.72 mg/dL and LDL/HDL, TG/HDL and TC/HDL ratios fell. Weight, BMI, blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, glucose and insulin did not differ.

Design: RCT, n = 72, 2023
Population: Overweight or obese adults aged 40 to 55 with metabolic syndrome (80 randomized)
Form: Pure theobromine vs placebo, both with a low-calorie diet
Dose: 450 mg/day
Duration: 12 weeks
Source: Reference 7 · PubMed 37615657 (opens PubMed)

Grade CFasting and after-meal lipids and glucose in people with low HDLCholesterolLDL −0.21 mmol/L; HDL n.s.Crossover RCT
n 44 · 2018

Mixed Theobromine lowered fasting LDL cholesterol (−0.21 mmol/L) and apoB100, did not significantly raise HDL (+0.03 mmol/L, P = 0.088) and raised hsCRP (+1.2 mg/L). After a meal, glucose, insulin and free fatty acids were higher with theobromine.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 44, 2018
Population: Healthy men and women with low HDL cholesterol
Form: Theobromine vs placebo
Dose: 500 mg/day
Duration: 4 weeks per period
Source: Reference 4 · PubMed 28645636 (opens PubMed)

Grade CBlood vessel function in overweight and obese adultsBlood vesselsNo FMD changeCrossover RCT
n 44 · 2019

No effect Theobromine did not improve fasting or after-meal flow-mediated dilation or other endothelial measures; it lowered central augmentation index (−1.7 points) and after a meal widened the brachial artery slightly.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 44, 2019
Population: Overweight (30) and obese (14) men and women with low HDL cholesterol
Form: Theobromine vs placebo
Dose: 500 mg/day
Duration: 4 weeks per period
Source: Reference 5 · PubMed 29330660 (opens PubMed)

Grade C24-hour and central blood pressure (theobromine-enriched cocoa)Blood pressure+3.2 mm Hg 24-h systolic at 979 mgCrossover RCT
n 42 · 2010

Mixed Theobromine-enriched cocoa raised 24-hour ambulatory systolic pressure by 3.2 mm Hg vs placebo (P < 0.01) but lowered central systolic pressure by 4.3 mm Hg 2 hours after a dose. Natural-dose cocoa changed neither.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 42, 2010
Population: Healthy adults (mean age 62, 32 men) with office pressure 130 to 159/85 to 99 mm Hg
Form: Flavanol-rich cocoa with 106 mg (natural) or 979 mg theobromine vs placebo dairy drink
Dose: 106 mg or 979 mg theobromine daily
Duration: 3 weeks per period
Source: Reference 6 · PubMed 20823377 (opens PubMed)

Grade DUric acid crystallization risk with citrate plus theobromineKidney stonesNo significant difference vs citrateCrossover RCT
n 47 · 2020

No effect Both treatments lowered the risk of uric acid crystallization from baseline; it was lower with citrate plus theobromine, but the difference was not significant.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 47, 2020
Population: Patients with uric acid kidney stones
Form: Citrate plus theobromine vs citrate alone
Dose: As in the trial supplements
Duration: Two treatment periods
Source: Reference 13 · PubMed 32645831 (opens PubMed)

Grade DMood and vigilance at food-level dosesMood and alertnessNo change in mood or vigilanceCrossover RCT
n 24 · 2013

No effect At every dose theobromine failed to consistently affect mood or vigilance, while 100 mg of caffeine reduced fatigue and increased vigour.

Design: Crossover RCT, n = 24, 2013
Population: Young men (mean age 23)
Form: Theobromine 100, 200 or 400 mg in a cocoa drink vs controls, with 100 mg caffeine as positive control
Dose: Single doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg
Duration: Six test sessions with a 2-hour vigilance task
Source: Reference 9 · PubMed 23764688 (opens PubMed)

What the numbers add up to

Each point is worked out from the data and the sources numbered on this page, with the arithmetic shown under it. It adds no new data and is not medical advice.

The HDL dose is several chocolate bars

The 850 mg a day that raised HDL is about 3.4 times the theobromine estimated in a 50 g chocolate bar.^3,10

Two HDL results, two populations

850 mg a day raised HDL by 0.16 mmol/L in healthy adults aged 40 to 70, while 500 mg a day changed HDL by only 0.03 mmol/L (not significant) in people starting with low HDL.^3,4

Studied doses

Doses used in research, shown against the official limits. They describe the studies, not a recommendation for you.

Studied doses in research, not advice. These are amounts used in research, not personal advice. Your clinician or pharmacist can say what fits you.

Doses studied in human trials

Doses studied in human trials ranged from 100 mg single doses for mood and vigilance to 1,000 mg a day with cocoa for 4 weeks. Lipid and vascular trials used 450 to 500 mg a day for 4 to 12 weeks and 850 mg a day for 4 weeks; the blood-pressure trial used 979 mg a day for 3 weeks. These are research amounts, not product directions.^9,3,7,4,6

When trials measured an effect

3 outcomes

How long trials ran before effects were measured
Outcome	Measured at	Basis
HDL cholesterol	Measured at 4 weeks	Two-centre randomized trial (850 mg/day)³
Blood pressure	24-hour pressure at 3 weeks; central pressure 2 hours after a dose	Crossover trial (979 mg/day)⁶
Mood and heart rate	Within single test sessions	Dose-ranging crossover trials^8,9

Interactions and safety

Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.

What Theobromine meets

1 cited row

Medicines 0

No medicine rows in our sources.

Theobromine0 medicines · 1 supplement

Supplements and foods 1

Reference summary

Interactions

1 agent

Published interactions, grouped by kind
Agent	What the source says	Evidence
Other supplements1
Caffeine and other stimulantse.g. caffeine, theophylline, caffeinated pre-workouts	A toxicology review of the methylxanthine family found that combined exposure, documented mainly for caffeine with theophylline at large doses, may potentiate toxic effects. No trial has tested theobromine supplements combined with caffeine.²	Review

Check with what you take

Kept on this device only

Add what you take. We list every interaction our evidence profiles cite between Theobromine and your picks, and between your picks.

Add a supplement or medicine

Most cited:

Add a supplement or medicine you take to check it against Theobromine.

Starting from one medicine? The interaction checker rates how serious each pair is, on a curated list of 19 entries for 11 medicines. This cabinet has no severity rating: it lists every interaction row our supplement pages cite.

Who should be careful

7 groups

High blood pressure: About 1,000 mg a day raised 24-hour systolic pressure by 3.2 mm Hg in people with high-normal or mildly raised pressure.⁶
Heart rhythm concerns: Theobromine raised heart rate in a dose-dependent way in healthy volunteers.⁸
Blood sugar: 500 mg a day for 4 weeks raised after-meal glucose and insulin and hsCRP in people with low HDL.⁴
Caffeine stacking: A toxicology review notes that combined methylxanthine exposure (such as caffeine with theophylline) can potentiate toxic effects; chocolate itself contains both theobromine and caffeine.^2,10
Pregnancy: No trial has tested theobromine supplements in pregnancy. In 131 pregnant women, 30 g a day of high-theobromine chocolate for 12 weeks did not change uterine artery blood flow compared with low-theobromine chocolate; in rabbits, theobromine at 125 mg/kg a day or more lowered fetal weight and increased malformations. Ask your clinician before taking it while pregnant.^14,15
Breastfeeding: Theobromine passes into breast milk. When 6 nursing mothers ate milk chocolate containing 240 mg of theobromine, milk levels peaked at about 5.3 mg/L after 2.7 hours. LactMed says low chocolate intake is not a problem but extreme amounts can affect the infant: one newborn whose mother ate about 250 g of cocoa and chocolate a day was jittery and irritable until she cut back. No data exist for theobromine supplements.¹⁷
Dogs and other pets: Theobromine is the main toxin in chocolate poisoning of dogs. Of 156 dogs seen after eating chocolate at a Berlin clinic, 44 had signs such as agitation, tremor, vomiting and a racing heart, mostly after dark chocolate; 43 survived with treatment. Keep theobromine capsules and powders where pets cannot reach them.¹⁶

How to read the label

What to check on the Supplement Facts panel.

How to read the label

2 checks

Milligrams of theobromine

Trials used 100 mg to 1,000 mg. For scale, 50 g of chocolate was estimated at about 250 mg of theobromine.^9,3,10

Caffeine in the same product

Check the caffeine amount too: chocolate contains both, about 19 mg of caffeine with 250 mg of theobromine per 50 g in one study.¹⁰

Have the bottle? Photograph its Supplement Facts panel and see each line, theobromine included, beside the doses and forms the trials used in Label X-Ray.

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to common questions; the numbers link to the sources below.

Common questions

8 answers

Does theobromine raise HDL cholesterol?

At 850 mg a day it raised HDL by 0.16 mmol/L in 152 healthy adults over 4 weeks (grade B). At 500 mg a day in people with low HDL, HDL did not rise significantly, though LDL fell.^3,4

Does theobromine lower blood pressure?

Not in the trials we found: about 1,000 mg a day raised 24-hour systolic pressure by 3.2 mm Hg, natural cocoa amounts had no effect, and 450 mg a day with a diet did not change pressure.^6,7

Can theobromine improve focus or energy?

Not at food-level doses: 100 to 400 mg did not change mood or vigilance. Above 250 mg, one trial found worse mood and a higher heart rate.^9,8

Does theobromine help a cough?

A small placebo-controlled study found it reduced cough triggered by capsaicin, and lab work showed it calms cough-sensing nerves. It is not an approved cough medicine, and larger trials were not found in our sources.¹²

Does theobromine help weight loss?

In 72 adults with metabolic syndrome on a low-calorie diet, 450 mg a day trimmed waist size by 0.86 cm more than placebo but did not change body weight.⁷

Is theobromine safe?

A toxicology review describes its effects as considerably weaker than caffeine's. In trials, higher doses raised heart rate and 24-hour blood pressure and worsened after-meal glucose. It passes into breast milk, and no trial has tested supplements in pregnancy. It is the main toxin in chocolate poisoning of dogs.^{2,8,6,17,14,16}

How much theobromine is in chocolate?

One study estimated about 250 mg of theobromine and 19 mg of caffeine in a 50 g bar; a cocoa drink in another trial naturally provided 150 mg.^10,3

Is theobromine like caffeine?

It is a close chemical relative and binds the same adenosine receptors, but its effects are considerably weaker. At 100 to 400 mg it did not change mood or vigilance, while 100 mg of caffeine did.^9,2

Sources

17 sources: trial abstracts, NIH fact sheets and reference databases. Numbers in the text link here.

Sources cited on this page

17 sources

1PubChem compound summary: Theobromine (CID 5429)Database National Library of Medicine, 2026 · pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
2Methylxanthines: toxicity to humans. 3. Theobromine, paraxanthine and the combined effects of methylxanthines.Review Food Chem Toxicol, 1988 · PMID 3058562
3Effect of cocoa and theobromine consumption on serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations: a randomized controlled trial.RCT Am J Clin Nutr, 2013 · PMID 23595874
4Theobromine does not affect postprandial lipid metabolism and duodenal gene expression, but has unfavorable effects on postprandial glucose and insulin responses in humans.Crossover RCT Clin Nutr, 2018 · PMID 28645636
5Theobromine consumption does not improve fasting and postprandial vascular function in overweight and obese subjects.Crossover RCT Eur J Nutr, 2019 · PMID 29330660
6Effects on peripheral and central blood pressure of cocoa with natural or high-dose theobromine: a randomized, double-blind crossover trial.Crossover RCT Hypertension, 2010 · PMID 20823377
7Theobromine supplementation in combination with a low-calorie diet improves cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese subjects with metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.RCT Food Funct, 2023 · PMID 37615657
8Psychopharmacology of theobromine in healthy volunteers.Crossover RCT Psychopharmacology (Berl), 2013 · PMID 23420115
9Effects of theobromine and caffeine on mood and vigilance.Crossover RCT J Clin Psychopharmacol, 2013 · PMID 23764688
10Reinforcing effects of caffeine and theobromine as found in chocolate.RCT Psychopharmacology (Berl), 2005 · PMID 15772863
11Theobromine Does Not Affect Fasting and Postprandial HDL Cholesterol Efflux Capacity, While It Decreases Fasting miR-92a Levels in Humans.Crossover RCT Mol Nutr Food Res, 2018 · PMID 29797695
12Theobromine inhibits sensory nerve activation and cough.RCT FASEB J, 2005 · PMID 15548587
13Comparison of Two Dietary Supplements for Treatment of Uric Acid Renal Lithiasis: Citrate vs. Citrate + Theobromine.Crossover RCT Nutrients, 2020 · PMID 32645831
14High-flavanol and high-theobromine versus low-flavanol and low-theobromine chocolate to improve uterine artery pulsatility index: a double blind randomized clinical trial.RCT J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med, 2017 · PMID 27696933
15Evaluation of the teratogenic potential of cocoa powder and theobromine in New Zealand White rabbits.Animal study Food Chem Toxicol, 1986 · PMID 3744189
16Chocolate ingestion in dogs: 156 events (2015-2019).Observational J Small Anim Pract, 2021 · PMID 33788297
17Chocolate. Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed)Database National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024 · ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What changed

Every dated change to this page: what changed, who made it and why.

Change log

3 entries

Dated changes to this page
Date	Change	Who and why
Oct 21, 2026who should be careful, interactions, FAQ, related links	Added a breastfeeding note from the LactMed Chocolate record (NBK532500, revised 2024), which reports milk theobromine levels after chocolate. Added a caffeine and stimulant interaction entry from the existing 1988 toxicology review (PMID 3058562). FAQ trimmed from 10 to 8 (blood-vessel and kidney-stone answers stay in the evidence table) and the safety answer now covers pregnancy, breastfeeding and pets. PubMed searched for theobromine meta-analyses and RCTs through 2026: no newer oral trial qualifies (a 2025 cyclist trial tested caffeine, and a 2026 dental trial tested a theobromine gel on teeth).	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: A–Z page audit
Oct 19, 2026all	New page. Every PMID checked with NCBI E-utilities (esummary title, year and journal) and its abstract read with efetch; PubChem read on the date shown. The cough study is cited but not graded because its abstract gives no participant count; three papers from one 44-person crossover trial (NCT02209025) are listed as two outcome rows.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: new page
Oct 19, 2026safety	Added a pregnancy note (a 2017 randomized trial of high- vs low-theobromine chocolate in 131 pregnant women, PMID 27696933, and a 1986 rabbit teratology study, PMID 3744189) and a pet note (156 dogs after chocolate ingestion, PMID 33788297). Each abstract read with efetch. No evidence row or grade changed.	Writer: Kymata Health EditorialTrigger: adversarial review

Supplement & Nutrient Encyclopedia. Educational information only; it is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Statements about supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

Theobromine

Medicines 0

Supplements and foods 1

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