A study entitled "Effects of maternal chocolate intake on fetal heart rate" examined the reactions of the unborn child to the intake of this food.
By means of computerized cardiotocography it was possible to accurately observe changes in the fetal heart rate.
The outcome of the experiment showed that the maternal assumption of dark chocolate with a high concentration of cocoa (80%) has repercussions increasing fetal reactivity, while that of low concentration (30%) has not proved equally significant.
The causative agent is methylxanthine (theobromine), which acts as a non-selective antagonist on adenosine receptors, causing catecholamines and especially norepinephrine secretion, thus acting on adrenergic receptors of fetal myocardium.
However, this is not the only in-depth analysis carried out on the subject; in fact, other experimental ones have concluded partially discrepant results with respect to the aforementioned. It is therefore important to specify that, technologically speaking, this study has certainly made use of very innovative (computerized) methods and methods with respect to a classical visual analysis.
Furthermore, the investigation has shown that female fetuses are more reactive to chocolate than males. Moreover, we recall that the same behavior has been observed in experiments that have taken into consideration the response to different stimuli, such as the acoustic one.
Ultimately, chocolate stimulant molecules have a clear influence on fetal cardiac activity, even if the relative beneficial or maleficent effect is to be discriminated on the basis of concentrations, application and high variables that are not entirely known.
