If you're looking for an excuse to grab a late-afternoon chocolate bar, you could cite the candy's thiamine content as justification. But even though chocolate does contain thiamine, also known as vitamin B-1, you'd need to eat an excessively large quantity to treat a deficiency. On the other hand, chocolate will not contribute to thiamine deficiency, as some other foods can.
Thiamine Needs
You probably get all of the thiamine you need from your diet. Foods such as legumes, nuts, cereal grains and yeast contribute to the recommended daily allowance of 1.1 mg to 1.5 mg of thiamine. Thiamine deficiencies are generally treated with 5 mg to 30 mg of thiamine in supplement form. Treatment for thiamine deficiency due to alcohol withdrawal -- a condition known as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome -- may include vitamin B-1 injections. If you wanted to treat thiamine deficiency with chocolate, you'd need to eat 147 to 882 bars a day.
Thiamine Deficiency
Coffee and tea consumption can lead to a thiamine deficiency. Although chocolate, like coffee and tea, contains caffeine, the stimulant does not cause deficiencies. The tannin in coffee and tea reacts with thiamine, making it difficult for your body to absorb the vitamin. This rarely creates a deficiency among people who live in western cultures -- vitamin C may prevent the reaction between tannins and thiamine. If you eat a lot of raw freshwater fish or shellfish, you may develop thiamine deficiency. But cooked fish will not cause thiamine deficiency, according to MedlinePlus, an online service of the National Institutes of Health.
Mood Elevation
Both chocolate and thiamine can elevate your mood. A University of Wales study tested the effects of assorted nutrients on mood. Researchers attributed "drug-like" properties to chocolate, including caffeine, anandamines, magnesium and phenylethylamine. Four double-blind clinical trials also found that improved thiamine levels corresponded to improvements in mood, according to the report, results of which were published in September 1999 in "Public Health Nutrition." So even though chocolate won't effectively treat a thiamine deficiency, eating a bit might make you feel better until your deficiency responds to proven treatments.
Considerations
Talk to your doctor before taking thiamine supplements for any reason. Although vitamin B-1 is likely safe in therapeutic doses, skin irritation and allergic reactions may occur, according to MedlinePlus. Also keep in mind that chocolate, in candy form, adds sugar calories and trans fat to your diet. A healthy diet limits added sugar to about 6 tsp. a day; a 100 g bar of dark chocolate contains about 5 tsp. of sugar. A smaller milk chocolate bar, about 1.55 oz., contains nearly as much. Chocolate bars may also contain trans fat, an unhealthy fat associated with heart disease. Aim to keep your trans fat consumption to no more than 2 g a day.
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Chocolate, Dark, 70 to 85 Percent Cacao Solids; Candies, Milk Chocolate
- MedlinePlus: Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
- "Public Health Nutrition"; The Effects of Nutrients on Mood; D. Benton and R.T. Donohoe; September 1999
- MayoClinic.com; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork with These Nutrition Guidelines; February 2011
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