9. It Might Trigger Migraines
Believe it or not, your beloved chocolate bar could be the source of your pounding headache. Yep, “chocolate is a common trigger for migraines,” Yeung says.
Here’s why: Chocolate contains caffeine and beta-phenylethylamine. Both stimulants can “affect the way the nervous system works and cause blood vessels to narrow, ultimately leading to a migraine,” Yeung says.
“Additionally, many chocolates have a lot of added sugar, which can lead to blood sugar and hormonal fluctuations that also affect blood vessels,” she adds.
That said, the jury’s still out on whether chocolate triggers headaches. To illustrate this point, take this review in Nutrients: After evaluating 25 studies on the topic, the authors concluded there was no evidence showing a definitive connection between chocolate and migraines.
In addition, some research even shows that chocolate might work as a preventive for headaches in certain people, Yeung says.
All this to say, more research is needed to determine whether your chocolate bar can produce painful headaches.
So what’s a chocolate lover to do? The best strategy is to heed your body: If chocolate appears to be one of your migraine triggers, avoid it, Yeung says.