Is Chocolate Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Chocolate? Is Chocolate safe for nursing mother and child? Does Chocolate extracts into breast milk? Does Chocolate has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Chocolate influence milk supply or can Chocolate decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Chocolate lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Chocolate is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Chocolate is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Chocolate does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Chocolate safe in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
- Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.
Answer by Dr. Ru: About Chocolate usage in lactation
Cocoa contains theobromine (Dimethyl-3,7-xanthine), a caffeine derivative with a less neuro-excitability effect. In those cases of maternal overuse (more than 400 g a-day) irritability or colicky pain may appear in the infant. 100 g of chocolate contains 120 to 230 mg of theobromine and 20 to 30 mg of caffeine.
Answer by DrLact: About Chocolate usage in lactation
Chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine and larger amounts of the closely related compound, theobromine. It also contains anandamide and two related compounds that stimulate cannabinoid receptors, tryptophan, and polyphenols.[1][2] All of these compounds are detectable in breastmilk in small amounts. Low intake of chocolate by a nursing mother is not problematic, but extreme amounts can affect the infant.
Chocolate Side Effects in Breastfeeding
Jitteriness in a 6-week-old breastfed infant reported by a mother who claimed to drink 4 to 5 cups of coffee and 2 to 3 bottles (about 480 mL each) of cola daily as well as occasional tea and cocoa. Upon examination, the infant was gaining weight appropriately, but had trembling and increased muscle tone. The infant's symptoms decreased markedly 2 weeks after his mother stopped all caffeine-containing beverages.[4] A newborn infant developed irritability and jitteriness at 12 hours of life. All laboratory values were normal. The symptoms continued of the following days, accompanied by inconsolable crying, excessive sucking and sleep disturbances. Treatment with phenobarbital for 1 week did not modify symptoms. The mother did not drink coffee, but was eating about 250 grams of cocoa and chocolate daily during pregnancy and nursing. She tapered her chocolate intake over 10 days and symptoms in the infant began to diminish. Behavior was normal by 40 days of age and at 8 months of age, psychomotor development was normal.[5] A group of dermatologists in Japan reported that of 92 exclusively breastfed infants with atopic dermatitis that they tested, 18 had positive challenges to chocolate.[6]