Dark chocolate is considered a functional food due to reported anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Some report that chocolate can promote healthy weight management and lower lipids, while also protecting against Alzheimer’s disease. Typical chocolate marketing accentuates the high antioxidant profile in chocolate that is generally accepted to confer positive health benefits. Seems too good to be true, right?
That is because it is, unfortunately. Fancy a delicious, healthy treat stacked full of antioxidants? You may instead be consuming a bar full of toxic heavy metals. Heavy metals accumulate in your tissues over time and affect everything from liver detoxification to brain function.
Third party testing done by Consumer Reports showed that popular chocolate bars contained toxic levels of cadmium and lead. People who eat chocolate every day (about 15% of the population) in addition to other contaminated foods are consistently being exposed to toxic levels of heavy metals.
Chocolate products including chocolate chips, baking mixes, and cocoa or cacao powder can also contain higher levels of heavy metals. Lead and cadmium can also be found in spinach, sweet potato and carrots, therefore consistent consumption of these can lead to toxic exposure.
The first issue with chocolate is the high copper content. Adults require dietary copper for connective tissue formation, nervous system function, iron metabolism and energy production. However, our modern-day diets are high in copper and lack dietary zinc, two opposing minerals in the body.
Plant-based, healthier diets are often the culprit, with higher intakes of copper-rich foods like nuts, chickpeas and dark chocolate and lower intakes of zinc-rich foods like red meat and chicken. Zinc is required for the function of over 300 enzymes in the body, so the depletion of zinc has a myriad of detrimental health effects.
The implications of excessive copper consumption are wide and varied due to hepatotoxic and prooxidant effects. It damages the liver and may cause acne, infertility, depressed immunity, and psychiatric illness including depression, anxiety and psychosis.
The second issue with chocolate is that chocolate manufacturing processes can cause higher levels of toxic cadmium and lead in cocoa solids. You can see the full report here. Cadmium is taken up by the cacao plant from the soil it is grown in. Lead can be deposited on the plant after harvest as the beans are dried.
There are chocolate products that have been found to have low levels of cadmium and lead by Consumer Reports which shows that it is dependent on presence of soil and air pollutants and that manufacturers have the ability to control the levels of contaminants.
So why are contaminated products able to be sold to the consumer? An ABC Four Corners special called Duped: Food exposed showed various examples of global food fraud including adulteration, contamination and even human rights exploitation in food production chains. While there are clear food safety standards on the board for food production, contaminated products will always reach the shelves due to inconsistent or fraudulent testing.
Chocolate has always been my #1 sweet treat, with no other dessert coming close to the joy I feel when eating chocolate. I know I am not alone here with 15% of people eating chocolate daily.
Recommendations for avoiding heavy metal exposure in chocolate:
· Do not eat chocolate for the purported “health benefits”. Consume as a moderated treat only.
· Consult the articles from Consumer Reports here and here for products with a lower heavy metal content.
· Consume milk chocolate products instead of dark variations for a lower heavy metal content. Consume in moderation only due to higher content of sugar.
· Minimise chocolate consumption in pregnant women and children.
· Be mindful of consumption of other heavy metal-containing foods such as sweet potatoes, carrot and spinach in conjunction with chocolate consumption.
Copper is not mentioned in this report as a problematic mineral, however many individuals will find that minimising copper-containing foods, particularly chocolate will be beneficial, and emphasising the consumption of zinc-rich foods such as red meat, chicken, oysters, lamb, swiss cheese and mussels. Liver is also high in zinc, however I strongly recommend against consuming liver due to high levels of fat-soluble toxins.
If you are interested in naturopathic support to correct mineral deficiencies and optimise liver and gut function to improve your health, please book an appointment here or contact me at tia@themagicbean.com.au