Study Finds Heavy Metals Are In Various Dark Chocolate Products

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Dark chocolate products sold at various retailers nationwide may contain excessive amounts of heavy metals, according to a new study.

The research was led by scientists at George Washington University and published Wednesday in the Frontier in Nutrition. Researchers examined more than 70 dark chocolate products from retailers such as Whole Foods, Amazon and GNC. Products were tested to see whether the heavy metals lead, cadmium or arsenic were in them.

Scientists found 43% of the dark chocolate products exceeded acceptable levels of lead and 35% exceeded cadmium levels. None of the products exceeded the maximum level for arsenic. This study was based on a California law that sets maximum dosage levels of lead in products called Prop 65. Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and lead author of the study said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t set limits on heavy metals in most foods which is why they followed the California law.

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The study’s authors left out which brands had concentrations of metals because the levels could vary depending on the product. Previous research has found lead and cadmium can enter dark chocolate in various ways. Cadmium comes primarily through the soil where the cacao plant is planted. Lead can be introduced during various points in the manufacturing process including the harvesting, drying and fermenting of the cocoa bean.

People who menstruate often use chocolate as a cure for cramps and associated pain. That includes dark chocolate. One December 2017 study in the Belitung Nursing Journal of 50 menstruating teenagers at a boarding in Indonesia analyzed the effects of dark versus milk chocolate on period cramps.

The results found the teens who ate up to 40 grams of a 69% dark chocolate daily for the first 3 days after menstruation had significantly less pain compared with those who drank 40 grams of chocolate milk daily during the same amount of time.

Unfortunately, heavy metals in food can’t be avoided. There is no safe level of lead to consume. The FDA doesn’t set limits for cadmium or arsenic. 

Tewodros Godebo, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine published his own study his year where his team tested more than 100 chocolate products. He recommends consuming no more than an ounce of dark chocolate per day and limiting consumption for children and pregnant women.

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