Energy
Theobromine
Theobromine is a cocoa methylxanthine that has not shown meaningful alertness or performance benefit alone.
How it counts: Not part of the score
We show it on the label and count it as disclosed, but it never affects Dose, any sub-score or the grade. The basis below explains why.
- Clinical dose
- No established clinical dose
- Safety ceiling
- —
- Evidence
- weak
- Category
- Energy
Evidence summary
Research confidence: low
No reference dose. No study shows a performance, alertness or mood benefit from theobromine on its own: 100-400 mg had no effect on mood or vigilance (Judelson 2013), and the one exercise study (~450 mg, 10 runners, an unpublished thesis) found no difference in overall time. The smallest dose with any measurable effect, a +2.5 bpm heart-rate rise alongside higher 'dislike' ratings, is 500 mg (Baggott 2013), 5-20x the 25-100 mg in pre-workouts. It also peaks 2-3 h after ingestion, after most workouts end.
Research sources
- Psychopharmacology of theobromine in healthy volunteers (Baggott et al., Psychopharmacology 2013)(opens in new window)
- Effects of theobromine and caffeine on mood and vigilance (Judelson et al., J Clin Psychopharmacol 2013)(opens in new window)
24 men, double-blind: 100, 200 and 400 mg theobromine failed to affect mood or vigilance; 100 mg caffeine reduced fatigue and raised vigor
- Differential contributions of theobromine and caffeine on mood, psychomotor performance and blood pressure (Mitchell et al., Physiol Behav 2011)(opens in new window)
700 mg theobromine: no alertness gain, decreased calmness at 3 h, lowered BP at 1 h; theobromine + 120 mg caffeine matched caffeine alone on mood
- Ergogenic effects of salbutamol, caffeine and theobromine on non-asthmatic subjects (Hu, PhD thesis, Liverpool John Moores University 2016)(opens in new window)
The only theobromine exercise study: 10 men, ~6 mg/kg (~450 mg), single-blind; no significant difference in overall 3 km time vs placebo (p = 0.844). Not peer-reviewed. A 2021 review (Kennedy, Drug Test Anal, doi 10.1002/dta.2970) summarizes it as positive, which misstates the primary outcome.
- Comparative pharmacokinetics of caffeine and its primary demethylated metabolites (Lelo et al., Br J Clin Pharmacol 1986)(opens in new window)
Theobromine half-life 7.2 h vs caffeine 4.1 h (Shively et al., Clin Pharmacol Ther 1985, doi 10.1038/clpt.1985.65, reports 10 h)