'Unacceptable' Amounts of Heavy Metals in Over 40% Dark Chocolate Bars: Research Shows

New research has discovered that a large number of dark chocolate bars sold across the United States contain heavy metals in amounts exceeding acceptable levels.

Knewz.com has learned that 43% of the surveyed dark chocolate products contained alarming levels of lead , while 35% had a cadmium content that exceeded the safety threshold.

For the research, scientists examined over 70 dark chocolate products from retail outlets like Whole Foods, Amazon , and GNC, and tested them for the presence of toxic material like lead, cadmium, and arsenic .

Under California state guidelines, the maximum allowed level of lead and cadmium in food products is 0.5 micrograms and 4.1 micrograms per day, respectively.

However, the research conducted by scientists from George Washington University found that the lead content present in the suggested daily serving amounts on the chocolate product labels ranged between zero to 3.316 micrograms.

The presence of Cadmium was revealed to be as high as 14.12 micrograms per daily serving in some cases.

Notably, Cadmium is a highly toxic heavy metal that can even cause cancer, targeting the cardiovascular, renal, gastrointestinal, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems.

While dark chocolate is widely known to have numerous health benefits – being rich in antioxidants and capable of lowering blood pressure – the findings of the recent study prove that excess consumption can result in an adverse effect.

“The results of our analysis suggest that many products contain [lead] and [cadmium] in amounts that may exceed certain, stringent regulatory requirements,” the scientists wrote in the research, which was published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal.

“Therefore, enhanced surveillance may be warranted. Further, additional research into cumulative heavy metal exposure from the diet as a whole would help put this work into context to best inform public health policy and interventions.”

Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and lead author of the study, pointed out that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have specified limits imposed on the presence of heavy metals in most food products.

Furthermore, the FDA also does not have suggested limits for the intake of chocolates and sugar-based candy for adults.

Therefore, as a precautionary measure, Frame suggests, “Don’t have large amounts of chocolate every single day… One ounce serving size is what we recommend, or maybe you have 2 ounces every other day.”

“You actually cannot avoid exposure to heavy metals in the diet… It’s really not about avoiding them; it’s about making sure you’re not getting too much,” she added .

“Not eating the same thing day after day is going to help protect you from many different things, including heavy metals.”

The study also noted that organic products were more susceptible to heavy metal “contamination,” although it could not pinpoint its exact cause.

A theory the researchers have come up with is that the organic products may have been exposed to cadmium during soil contamination, while the presence of lead has been attributed to contamination during the process of drying, processing, or packaging.

While dark chocolate products were also tested for arsenic, the research did not find alarming amounts of the toxic metal.