As if the sugar content wasn’t reason enough to stay away from processed chocolate.
A new study, in Environmental Health Perspectives, reveals that chocolate can be contaminated with very high quantities of lead.
What’s interesting is that cocoa beans tested had an average lead concentration of < 0.5 ng/g, "one of the lowest reported values for a natural food," the study points out. But, by contrast, "lead concentrations of manufactured cocoa and chocolate products were as high as 230 and 70 ng/g."
In fact, a team of American and Nigerian researchers found that lead levels in raw cocoa beans were 60 times lower than lead levels observed in processed chocolate products, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Talk about a worrisome statistic.
Researchers suspect that this lead contamination doesn’t come from the producer but rather during the shipping and/or manufacturing of the cocoa beans into cocoa and chocolate products.
For example, they speculate that one source of contamination of the processed, finished chocolates might be atmospheric emissions of leaded gasoline.
"Because of the high capacity of cocoa bean shells to adsorb lead, contamination from leaded gasoline emissions may occur during the fermentation and sun-drying of unshelled beans at cocoa farms."
Regardless of the source of contamination, "there is no excuse for a product that is about to be consumed by children to contain lead, period," Dr. John Rosen, a pediatrician and lead program director at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, told the Chicago Tribune.
Lead exposure can be quite dangerous, particularly to children. For example, it can lead to permanent developmental deficits. High lead levels can harm a child’s ability to think, plan, organize and memorize, Rosen explained. "And lower levels of lead may produce intellectual deficits that are with a child forever."
Yikes, this is scary.
But, as I stated previously, you can still reap chocolate’s anti-oxidant and other benefits by eating raw cacao beans.
Furthermore, as popular physician Dr. Joseph Mercola.com points out, you also can "derive a majority of these benefits by consuming blueberries, apples and grapes, and most vegeetables, including broccoli, greens and onions.
Thanks to Mercola.com for the lead on this new study.
One thought on “Processed Chocolate Contains Dangerous Lead Concentrations, Study Says”
Regarding the numerous statements found across the internet about leaded gasoline, this can easily be eliminated as the real source. A study published in the October Environmental Health Perspectives suggests otherwise. A team of American and Nigerian researchers found that lead levels in raw cocoa beans were 60 times lower than lead levels observed in processed chocolate products. This would obviously mean that the increase has to come from either the shipping or processing. My guess would have to be the processing. Besides, If you want to believe the unleaded gas theory, one would have to assume that the great number of foods we now import from these 3rd world countries must also be contaminated. The gasoline theory does not hold water. That is not to say that looking at other foods is not important. Documented lead content in candy has ranged from a mean concentration of 21 nanograms per gram in milk chocolate bars in an Australian study to an average of 1,920 ng/g in chocolates in India. Not to say chocolate is the only food containing lead. U.S. lead concentration for apples is 20 ng/g, 200 ng/g for dry table wine and 100 ng/g for canned pineapple, according to the study.
Source for some of the above statements is the October 30 issue of Chicago Tribune / Health section.
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