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Dark chocolate has always been known as a yummy and relatively healthy ‘sweet’ snack.

As a plant rich in nutrients called flavonoids, antioxidants and beneficial minerals, cocoa has been linked to improved cardiovascular health, cognitive performance and less chronic inflammation.

But now, scientists have found a way to ruin chowing some dark choccie ever again.

A new study has found that dark chocolate and similar cocoa products are contaminated with lead and cadmium, two neurotoxic metals that are linked to cancer, chronic disease, or reproductive and developmental issues, especially in children.

Great. Just great. We can’t have anything nice anymore.

CNN notes that lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals lie in wait, embedded deep within the Earth’s crust, seeping into the soil that nurtures our crops. These insidious elements, woven into the very fabric of our environment, are inescapable. Yet, the danger intensifies in certain fields and regions where toxic levels surge, fueled by the relentless overuse of metal-laden fertilisers and the ceaseless march of industrial pollution. In these blighted lands, the very sustenance we rely on is tainted, turning nature’s bounty into a hidden peril.

Somehow, even when these plants are grown on land with fewer pesticides and other contaminants, organic versions of dark chocolate had some of the highest levels, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

“The average levels of lead and cadmium in cocoa-containing products in the new study are at or above the average amounts the US Food and Drug Administration finds for lead and cadmium in the most highly contaminated foods they test,” said Jane Houlihan, the national director of science and health for Healthy Babies Bright Futures, a coalition of advocates committed to reducing babies’ exposures to neurotoxic chemicals.

The research team examined only pure dark chocolate products as they contain the highest amount of cacao, the raw, unprocessed part of the cacao bean. Candies or baking chocolates with other ingredients were eliminated. The study did not disclose the names or manufacturers of the tested products.

“We’d expect heightened risks for young children, pregnant women, and people who eat chocolate regularly, especially dark chocolate.”

Baby food sweet potatoes, baby food teething biscuits, sandwich cookies, white wine and ranch dressing top the FDA’s list of foods most contaminated with lead, while sunflower seeds, spinach, potato chips, leaf lettuce and french fries contain the highest levels of cadmium, Houlihan said.

US health officials are also warning that several types of ground cinnamon sold at certain discount and speciality grocery stores are contaminated with high levels of lead and should be discarded, per AP News.

The truth is, lead is everywhere!

“There are many sources of lead, for example: There’s lead in water, there’s lead in vegetables and fruits, there’s lead in our soil, dust and air,” Fugere said. “Do I feel good about eating a piece of chocolate that may also contain lead?  Each person can make their own decision.”

While these studies are based on US foods, chocolate and cinnamon come from various countries while brands trade across the globe, so you never know how it may affect us here in South Africa.

I guess we’re going to have to take the advice of ‘everything in moderation’ quite seriously.

[sources:cnn&apnews]