theobromine - Articles and Posts from Slashfood

Posts with tag theobromine

A tee for chocolate-loving scientists

Posted Dec 24th 2006 11:59AM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: Science, Chocolate, Food Gadgets, Did you know?

It looks like you can have your chocolate molecule and wear it, too. This t-shirt has the representation of the molecular structure of theobromine, the ingredient in chocolate that acts as a mood elevator and stimulant and helps to make chocolate so popular. Unlike the chocolate molecule we looked at before, this particular form of chocolate has no calories and is a more technical and more accurate representation of a chocolate molecule than the elegantly artistic truffle version.

Theobromine, by the way, is found in cacao, so dark chocolate has more of it than milk chocolate. Although it is a stimulant, its mood-elevating effects have been shown to be mild and long-lasting, unlike the rush that is usually associated with caffeine, a stimulant with which theobromine is often confused.

So because this tee is packed with theobromine, although it lacks cacao, you might just get a mood boost from wearing it - especially if you get the occasional rush from being just a little bit geeky (Not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Chocolate mulch is bad for dogs

Posted Jun 13th 2006 6:30PM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Science, Chocolate, Newspapers, Health & Medical

I know this isn't a landscaping blog, but chocolate is chocolate, and according to the ASPCA, mulch made from cocoa bean shells is both tempting and dangerous for dogs. Like chocolate, hulls used for the mulch contain theobromine which has all sorts of nasty effects-vomiting, elevated heart rate and death-on dogs. What's more, the stuff apparently smells good, which is why landscapers, gardeners and some dogs like it. Cocoa mulch, which sounds more apt for the breakfast table, is actually one most concentrated forms of theobromine available to consumers, according to recent Kansas City Star article. I'm not sure how this news will be taken by gardeners looking to keep their neighbors' dogs out of their rose gardens.

Remember your dog on Valentine's Day

Posted Feb 2nd 2006 1:44PM by Nick Vagnoni
Filed under: Chocolate, Did you know?

With Valentine's Day coming up, there's a good chance that you'll have a little more chocolate around the house. A recent article in the Star-Gazette serves as a well-timed reminder for dog owners to be careful where they leave that oh-so-thoughtful Godiva gift box. As someone whose (small) dog has taken down half a bag of Tollhouse morsels, I can tell you that the after-effects are not at all fun. At least it wasn't a chocolate lab (I'm sure there's a vet joke out there somewhere).

As some of you may know, it's the caffeine and theobromine in chocolate that can elevate your dog's heart rate to dangerous levels, induce seizures, vomiting and other stomach problems and, in some cases, even kill them. The darker and purer a chocolate is, the higher the levels of caffeine and theobromine and the more toxic it is to your pup. According to the Star-Gazette article, it would take a pound of baking chocolate to do in a 30-pound dog. Really, any amount is too much. Keep the sweets out of your pooch's reach.

From my own personal experience, when our jack russell-chihuahua mix ate several ounces of chocolate chips, he became hyper (ok, more hyper) and shaky (ok, more shaky). On the advice of a vet who was nice enough to call us back on a Sunday afternoon, we force-fed him small doses of hydrogen-peroxide to induce vomiting. After much snorting and spitting and sneezing, our dog gave back far more chocolate than we suspected he had eaten. He's fine now. Lesson learned.

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A tee for chocolate-loving scientists

Chocolate mulch is bad for dogs

Remember your dog on Valentine's Day

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