Can Eating Chocolate Cause Headaches?

Short answer? Maybe. In some people. But it’s probably not a common trigger.

The question – can eating chocolate cause headaches – needs to be asked more, and investigated more seriously. Instead, chocolate has been listed regularly as a major migraine trigger, without anyone taking time to investigate the evidence.

Of course we’re actually talking about “triggers” here. The “cause” of headache conditions is a totally different topic.

It’s not easy to study the affect of chocolate on people prone to headaches, but in 1997 a study was attempted using carob as a alternative to chocolate. The result? Neither one seemed more likely to provoke a headache. (See A double-blind provocative study of chocolate as a trigger of headache.)

A study of the links between chocolate and migraine in the paper Chocolate and migraine: the history of an ambiguous association, published in 2014, suggested that we avoid calling chocolate a migraine trigger altogether.

Even in those studies reporting a more convincing association, the risk of migraine after chocolate ingestion was found to be 2- to 3-fold lower than that reported for exposure to other conventional triggers such as stress, fasting, lack of sleep and alcohol beverages. The results of the double-blind studies are instead unequivocal, and clearly demonstrate that the risk of developing a headache attack after ingestion of chocolate is as likely as administering placebo in patients with migraine. It can hence be concluded that the widespread belief that chocolate and cocoa-containing foods should be absolutely avoided by migraine patients lacks of a reliable scientific basis.
emphasis mine

In other words, there is as much change of developing migraine after taking a placebo as there is after taking chocolate.

But – “everyone” says that eating chocolate can cause headaches!

Actually, not everyone does, but more on that in a moment.

If you ask many headache sufferers – can eating chocolate cause headaches? – they will say – of course! It has happened to me more than once.

And I’m not about to suggest that eating chocolate can never trigger an attack in anyone ever.

But neurologist and headache specialist Dr. Noah Rosen points out another common connection:

Chocolate may be getting a bad rap as a migraine trigger. Many people with migraines have increased appetite and food cravings just before their headaches start.

To make things more interesting, many women with menstrual migraine experience chocolate cravings during the perimenstrual days of the month. Since the monthly cycle can also be connected to migraine attacks, the craving often comes before an attack.

Some people also associate the danger with the high amounts of caffeine in chocolate. Actually, there is an odd debate out there about just how much caffeine chocolate has. But ordinary chocolate actually has – at most – not much caffeine. If you take a huge bar and gobble it down all at once – well, even then you’re not getting huge amounts of caffeine. And you need to savour and eat more slowly anyway. 🙂

A recent report from the migraine-fighting app, Curelator, suggested that chocolate protected people from migraine as much as it triggered it – in either case, rarely.

(This isn’t the first time that researchers have suggested that chocolate may be a migraine-fighter.)

So – should I eat chocolate?

First of all, remember that moderation is very important for someone prone to headaches. Drastic, sudden changes in sleep, schedule, and diet can indeed trigger an attack. Spike in sugar are a real danger.

Can chocolate cause headaches? Well, assuming you’re eating chocolate in moderation, and eating quality chocolate without a lot of other ingredients that may be a danger to you – for most people chocolate probably won’t bring on an attack.

In fact, a small amount of quality dark chocolate once in a while is probably good for you.

Read more in Chocolate and Headache.

Also see:

• Why Do I Crave Chocolate During My Period?
• Is chocolate really a migraine trigger?
• Carob vs. Chocolate