The Dark Side of Dark Chocolate: Heavy Metals in Your Favorite Brands

A recent study found that dark chocolate and other cocoa products are contaminated with lead and cadmium, two neurotoxic metals associated with cancer, chronic diseases, and reproductive or developmental issues, especially in children. Surprisingly, even organic dark chocolate, grown with fewer pesticides, was found to have some of the highest concentrations of these harmful metals. Listen in this week as Dee discusses the findings of the study and whether it's still possible to enjoy the health benefits of dark chocolate.References: Hands, J. M., Anderson, M. L., Cooperman, T., Balsky, J. E., & Frame, L. A. (2024). A multi-year heavy metal analysis of 72 dark chocolate and cocoa products in the USA. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1366231/full