Chocolate is a rich source of sugars, fat and other neuroactive chemicals, including caffeine, tetrahydro-beta-carbolines, serotonin and biogenic amines. Each of these neuroactive chemicals might have either a positive or negative effect on your brain's seizure activity. For some patients who experience recurring seizures, chocolate should be avoided. Others might tolerate chocolate well, or even use it as part of a diet for seizure control. The primary mode of epilepsy treatment is anti-epileptic medications, and dietary therapies should only be considered as a complement to prescribed medication.
Caffeine
Caffeine occurs naturally in chocolate, as it is present in cocoa beans. The darker the chocolate, the higher its caffeine content. The USDA standard nutrient database indicates that dark chocolate with 70 to 85 percent cocoa solids provides 80 mg of caffeine in every 100 g of chocolate. Eating two 30 g squares of dark chocolate would provide a similar amount of caffeine as a single cup of brewed black tea. Some people with epilepsy find caffeine has little or no effect on their seizures; other people find caffeine to be a seizure trigger. According to a clinical study reported in the "American Journal of Psychiatry," caffeine might prolong seizures.
Carbohydrates
Since the early 1900s, some individuals with epilepsy -- most notably, children under 12 with drop seizures -- have used low-carbohydrate diets as a complement to anti-seizure medications. An article by Stanford Neurology physicians Robert Fisher and Maslah Saul indicates that this low-carb ketogenic diet is not effective for most patients. However, those who use the ketogenic diet for seizure control would be advised to avoid chocolate due to its high concentration of carbs and sugars.
Blood Sugar Boost
According to the online medical encyclopedia Medline Plus, low blood sugar levels might precipitate a seizure. If your seizures are related to your blood sugar levels, your health care provider might recommend that you eat every few hours to keep your blood sugar up. Chocolate provides a fast blood-sugar boost. If you are away from home and need to eat instantly to get your blood sugar up, chocolate is readily available everywhere, from gas stations to vending machines. However, you should bear in mind that the refined sugars present in chocolate provide only a short-term boost to your blood sugar. In the long term, complex carbs are better for maintaining steady blood sugar levels.
Considerations
When considering the place of chocolate in your diet, you should consider the pros and cons of its potential effects on your seizure activity and your overall health. Excessive consumption of any kind of chocolate will likely lead to a calorie excess, which will be stored as additional body fat. Some of the commonly-prescribed anti-epileptic medications already have a tendency to cause weight gain, according to a November 2004 article in the journal "Neurology." If your medication causes weight gain, limiting chocolate intake might help you keep additional weight off. Consult your doctor for personalized medical advice regarding seizure control and your diet.
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