Arsenic is just the beginning. A new discovery will shock chocolate lovers.
"Everyone loves chocolate. However, it's important to indulge in moderation—just like with other foods that contain heavy metals, such as large fish like tuna or unwashed brown rice. While it's impossible to completely avoid heavy metals in your food, you should be mindful of what you eat and how much you eat," says Leigh Frame, an expert in integrative medicine and clinical research at GWU's School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The scientists reached these conclusions after analyzing 72 cocoa products , including dark chocolate, available in American stores. They analyzed their ingredients over an eight-year period (tests were conducted every two years). The researchers checked for contamination with heavy metals that, at certain concentrations, pose a serious health risk: lead and cadmium, as well as arsenic .
They related the obtained values to the maximum permissible concentrations of heavy metals and their compounds.
They claim that the maximum allowable dose of lead was exceeded in 43 percent of the products tested, and for cadmium, in 35 percent. As for arsenic, no exceedances of the maximum allowable dose were recorded.
Interestingly, products labeled as organic had higher concentrations of lead and cadmium than inorganic products.
For the average consumer, consuming a single serving of cocoa products does not necessarily pose a health risk. However, consuming multiple servings—or simultaneously consuming different products that may contain heavy metals—may lead to exceeding the maximum permissible intake.
The group of foods with potentially high lead content includes animal products that bioaccumulate heavy metals (e.g. crustaceans or some offal ) as well as foods and herbal supplements obtained from contaminated soils and/or imported from countries where standards and regulations are less restrictive, e.g. China, Nigeria, India, Egypt .
Regarding the risk of exceeding the safe dose of cadmium, concerns arise regarding the consumption of certain algae, especially Hijiki.
Consumers should be aware of the possible risk of cumulative exposure, especially with cocoa products labeled as organic, as they may contain higher concentrations of heavy metals. A single serving of dark chocolate contains approximately 28 grams. This amount is typically suggested to be beneficial for health, including cardiovascular health, cognitive function, and the reduction of chronic inflammation.
The study was published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
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