Many cocoa foods contain lead and cadmium.
- Cadmium and lead are heavy metals that are dangerous to health.
- According to a new study, they are very present in cocoa-based foods.
- “We all love chocolate, but it’s important to consume it in moderation like other foods that contain heavy metals, including large fish and unwashed brown rice,” said Leigh Frame, a professor at George Washington University School of Medicine.
Too many cocoa products are contaminated with heavy metals that can cause health problems, according to aa new study titled “A Multi-Year Heavy Metal Analysis of 72 Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Products in the USA” and published on July 31 in Frontiers in Nutrition.
43% Cocoa products contain too much lead
To reach these conclusions, the authors analyzed 72 common consumer products made with cocoa (including dark chocolate, editor’s note). For eight years, samples were taken from the selected foods every 24 months in order to detect possible contamination with lead, cadmium and arsenic.
Four key elements emerged from the survey, namely:
– 43% of the products studied exceed the maximum admissible dose for lead.
– 35% of the products studied exceed the maximum admissible dose for cadmium.
– No product exceeded the maximum permitted dose for arsenic.
– organic foods have higher levels of lead and cadmium than non-organic products.
“We all love chocolate, but it is important to consume it in moderation as with other foods that contain heavy metals, including large fish and unwashed brown rice.”said Leigh Frame, a professor at George Washington Medical School. “While it is not possible to completely avoid heavy metals in your diet, you should be careful about what you eat and how much you consume,” he added.
Foods with a high lead content can be of animal origin (shellfish, offal, etc.) or of plant origin when they come from plants grown on contaminated soil and/or imported from less regulated countries (China, Nigeria, India, Egypt, etc.). As for cadmium, certain marine algae, particularly Hijiki, must be added to the products just mentioned.
Cadmium and lead: what are the health risks?
Cadmium is a very toxic element that causes kidney problems. “It can also substitute for bone calcium and modify the mechanical properties of the skeleton by creating bone porosity, bone deformation, fractures or progressive shriveling of the body,” noted ASEF.
The IARC has also confirmed a carcinogenic effect of cadmium on the body since 1993, mainly at the pulmonary level.
Moreover, “Lead poisoning is often asymptomatic but leads to low IQ, anemia, behavioral problems, kidney problems and hearing loss.” reports ASEF. “Children are most affected by these ailments because their bodies absorb more lead than adults (particularly through the digestive tract)”, she concludes.
