Terrible News: Heavy Metals in Dark Chocolate! By Mrs. Vera West

This one has been on my mind since reading it. It seems that a study has found that there are high levels of heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium in dark chocolate, including organic chocolate. How is this possible for organic chocolate? Well, it seems that the soils where the chocolate is grown was prior contaminated. The details are below. Now, while it is true that dark chocolate has numerous health benefits from the antioxidants, this is negated by the heavy metal contents. So, I suppose, that like fish, that is one more food to cross off my list! In reality, most of our food is contaminated by something dangerous, so in he end, we may end up either starving to death, or eating most things in moderation!

https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/heavy-metals-in-dark-chocolate-new-study-reveals-surprising-findings-5695999

"Is your favorite dark chocolate bar harboring a hidden health risk? A new study published on July 31 in Frontiers in Nutrition suggests that some popular dark chocolate products may contain concerning levels of heavy metals, particularly lead and cadmium.

The study, conducted by researchers from The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and ConsumerLab.com, analyzed 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products sold in the United States from 2014 to 2022. Their findings shed light on a potential health concern that has been bubbling beneath the surface of the chocolate industry for years.

Why Study Heavy Metals in Chocolate?

Dark chocolate, long touted for its potential health benefits due to its high antioxidant content, has faced scrutiny in recent years due to reports of heavy metal contamination. Consumer media outlets and independent testing agencies, including Consumer Reports and As You Sow, have previously highlighted this issue.

Consumer Reports found heavy metals in popular chocolate brands including Hershey's, Theo, Trader Joe's, Godiva, Hu, and Equal Exchange, according to their 2022 report. A report by As You Sow also revealed elevated heavy metals in various chocolate products tested between 2014 and 2017. These earlier reports raised concerns about the safety of dark chocolate consumption, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women.

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Your Health Matters

Given these concerns, Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at George Washington University and co-lead of the study, aimed to explore the significance of this contamination.

"We know chocolate is a plant that is particularly good at absorbing heavy metals from the soil and is grown in areas where there are heavy metals in the soil. So, it seemed like a logical area of concern. Also, often people think of chocolate as a supplement—like I'm getting my daily dose of chocolate because it's good for me, right? We were interested to see if people consuming chocolate for health benefits really do get those benefits because there is also potentially heavy metal exposure," Frame told The Epoch Times in an interview.

Study Design

The researchers analyzed popular cocoa-containing products from 2014 to 2022, including Ghirardelli, Hu, Lily's, 365 Whole Foods Market, Nestle, Now Real Food, Baker's, and Good & Gather.

All products were produced in the United States or Europe but sold only in the United States. The products were divided into four cohorts based on the year of purchase: 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2022. All products were tested for lead, cadmium, and arsenic content. Two primary standards were used to assess the levels of contamination:

1.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established interim reference levels (IRLs) with the following allowable intake levels:

• Lead: 2.2 micrograms (mcg) per day for children under 7 years old
• Lead: 8.8 mcg per day for women of childbearing age

While the FDA has established IRLs for lead, it has not set official limits for cadmium or arsenic in food products.

2.California Proposition 65 (Prop 65) is a more stringent state-level regulation that established the following maximum allowable dose levels (MADLs):

• Lead: 0.5 mcg per day
• Cadmium: 4.1 mcg per day
• Arsenic: 10 mcg per day

Study Findings

The new study's findings paint a complex picture of heavy metal contamination in dark chocolate:

• Lead: 43 percent of products tested exceeded Prop 65 limits, but 97.2 percent of the products fell below FDA IRL limits.
• Cadmium: 35 percent of products exceeded Prop 65 limits.
• Arsenic: No products exceeded Prop 65 limits.

For all products tested, mean concentrations of both lead (0.615 micrograms/serving) and cadmium (4.358 mcg per serving) exceeded Prop 65 standards. However, median concentrations of lead (0.375 mcg per day) and cadmium (3.03 mcg per day were below Prop 65 standards, suggesting that a few highly contaminated products may have skewed the overall results. 97.2 percent of all products tested fell below the FDA IRLs for lead.

Trade certifications (such as Fairtrade or Non-GMO) did not significantly affect heavy metal levels. Organic-labeled products showed significantly higher concentrations of cadmium and lead. They were 280 percent more likely to exceed Prop 65's cadmium limit and 14 percent more likely to exceed its lead limit.

"Our hypothesis was that organic products would be lower in heavy metals because they were not going to have fertilizers or pesticides used on them that were contaminated with heavy metals. But it's exactly the opposite," Frame said.

Why organic products had higher levels of heavy metals is unclear. Frame questioned if fertilizers and pesticides may not be adding as many heavy metals to food as previously thought.

"Also, someone that is growing an organic product is likely to treat it more carefully and gently. Perhaps the more gentle processing is allowing more residual heavy metals, compared to being extracted through some of the harsher processing methods that other companies are using. But that is purely a hypothesis" Frame added.

Health Concerns: Lead and Cadmium

There is no known safe level of lead in the blood since even low levels can produce toxic effects, according to a 2021 article in Toxics. The central nervous system is particularly vulnerable to lead, potentially resulting in cognitive decline, fine motor control impairment, and attention-related issues in both children and adults, according to the article.

IQ test scores were lower among children exposed to lead, according to a 2022 review in Systematic Reviews. The authors stated that lead exposure "can have irreversible effects on children's mental performance."

While less notorious than lead, cadmium exposure can also pose significant health risks. Cadmium exposure is a "cardiovascular risk factor" that may initiate and promote the progression of atherosclerosis, according to a review in Current Atherosclerosis Reports. Cadmium may also increase blood pressure and risk of kidney damage, according to the review. Increase risk of fracture may also increase following cadmium exposure, according to a 2016 review in Medicine.

Frame and her research team question whether the proposed benefits of cocoa outweigh the possible risk of heavy metal exposure. "It's hard to say whether these benefits are really truly beneficial for the average human," she said.

According to Frame, while dark chocolate has been associated with improved cardiovascular health, cognitive performance, and reduced chronic inflammation, these potential health benefits have been modest.

For example, a 2021 review in Nutrients concluded that cocoa products improved triglycerides, however, there was no effect on blood pressure, blood glucose, cognitive function, skin, anthropometry, or quality of life regardless of form, dose, or duration when consumed among healthy people.

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"As with anything, it has to do with what is the background diet. So, you have someone that has a very low polyphenol, low flavonoid diet, and chocolate is one of their predominant sources. Then in terms of the flavonoids, it may be very beneficial. That's why coffee is so beneficial for the average American because their diet is very low in polyphenols. And coffee is very rich in polyphenols and so it's a really important source," Frame said.

Frame suggests that potential benefits from cocoa may be similar. "If you have someone who already has a rich source of polyphenols in the diet, the contribution of chocolate is going to be pretty minimal. And then that person is exposing themselves to more heavy metals from the chocolate without getting the health benefits."

Moreover, the potential risks associated with heavy metal exposure have not been fully accounted for in previous studies promoting the health benefits of dark chocolate, according to Frame. She suggests a better approach is to look at the individual and ask if they are meeting their flavonoid levels and then use chocolate to increase those levels.

For those concerned their love of dark chocolate could be at risk, it is also worth nothing that any risk is a matter of moderation. The GWU study concludes that " if contaminated products as a whole are consumed in small amounts and infrequently by most, these contaminants may not be a public health concern (though, perhaps still an individual concern); in contrast, if many such products are consumed fairly regularly by the average consumer, the additive exposure may be a public health concern."

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1366231/full