Giving up caffeine and chocolate

[Jen2505]

I have just been advised that caffeine and chocolate do not suit panic attacks and I assume copd. Has anyone else been made aware of this?

[Hidden]

No Jen I haven't. There is caffeine in lots of things including tea and soft drinks. I think giving up chocolate and coffee is quite extreme and I certainly wouldn't! COPD is a very different illness from anxiety and I can't see caffeine affecting us. In fact chocolate makes me happy so definitely not going to give it up x

[huggs]

Hi Jen,

I think the giving up on caffeine and chocolate is more to do with panic attacks, rather than copd. I have never heard of a link between them and copd. If you are prone to panic attacks reducing your caffeine intake should help with that. Remember tea contains caffeine too, although not as much as coffee. However if you are a tea jenny then you would be consuming a fair amount of caffeine. If you are a coffee drinker then you can always go for de-caff. The chocolate is not so good! I could be wrong about these ingredients being linked with copd, its just that I have never heard of it. Sorry, I cannot be of more help. Huggs xx

[coastal1]

Agree with the above.

I mentioned on a reply to your previous post that you had probably been advised to cut caffeine because of the panic attacks .....as it can increase the heart rate and cause palpitations in some people .

I have never heard of it being linked to copd. Don't think chocolate in moderation should be a problem. As coughalot says it makes her happy. I have heard it can produce a " feel good " factor. However in larger amounts it can result in weight gain.......think we all know this !!

[TheAuthor]

Hi Jen2505

I sincerely hope that you are feeling as well as you possibly can be today? I have never heard of this before, and to be honest I love my chocolate too much to give it up for anything! I am lactose intolerant and have the lactose free chocolate and this does tend to have more coco mass in the product.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us all, it is really interesting.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken

[goldcrest]

certainly too much caffeine can cause panic attacks and I would think too much chocolate especially the ones that do not contain lots of cocoa as like all sweet things choc can cause high blood sugar levels which the body then use its insulin stores to restore blood sugar levels so can end up feeling jittery and I would think panic attacks in some cases whether it is linked to COPD I don't know I try to keep off chocolate and sweets etc and only drink de caff coffee but this was advised by hospital for another medical problem of mine

[Eve3066]

I think I have always known that chocolate causes a coughing fit, it goes back to having asthma. Don't know about caffeine

[O2Trees]

Generally you need calming things for panic attacks, and caffeine which is also in chocolate revs you up, so definitely i can see reason for giving it up.

Just a thought: chocolate and caffeine are always on the "give up" list for reflux. Ive never seen them implicated in copd, but one in three people with copd do have reflux. And reflux is hugely worsened by any kind of stress. So a circular route to think whether it has any relevance to copd. Ignore if not

[FarmerD]

I always think everything in moderation is ok ,just depends how moderate you are!

[jenss]

livestrong.com/article/3538...

Interesting topic, seems like there are pros and cons either way, and it ultimately depends how the individual (including their medication) reacts to caffeine. It seems that it may even have a mild bronchodilator effect in some. Cheers,

[Takelababy]

I was advised that caffeine can help with copd being a stimulant but I could see it might not be good for one with anxiety issues.

[Hidden]

Mmm...have gave up quite a lot of 'unhealthy' things for one reason so I am NOT calling time on the scrumptious fondant mint creams or choccy marzipan bars that I occasionally buy.

More recently I've discovered M & S dark chocolate Cherry Liqueurs. Oh dear!

My saving grace is that I'm satisfied with just a few nibbles

[helingmic]

Jen2505, I have a friend at a coffee morning who pestered me each time I put some sugar in my tea, I decided ( hearing the news about Diabetes on the news) to have one cup of tea with sugar in the morning, all the rest without sugar. I hope I'll get a badge of honour from my friend!