Washington: A report has warned that naturally occurring toxic metals are present in the soil where cocoa beans are grown worldwide, and these metals are also showing up in chocolate.
Leah Frame, the lead author of the study from the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., stated that while we all love chocolate, it is important to consume it in moderation along with other foods that contain heavy metals.
She noted that although it is not possible to completely avoid heavy metals in our diet, we should be aware of what and how much we are consuming.
Consuming high levels of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic can pose health risks.
Leah Frame and her team examined 72 cocoa-based products (including dark chocolate) in their new study to determine the presence of these metals.
These products were examined annually over an eight-year period.
The study results indicated that 43% of the products contained lead at the highest acceptable levels, while 35% contained cadmium at the highest acceptable levels.
However, no products were found to have arsenic levels exceeding acceptable limits.