Study finds heavy metals in chocolate

MODERATION IS KEY  The research may be unsettling for chocolate lovers, but Ana M. Rule, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins

Bloomberg School of Public Health, says, “I don’t think anybody needs to freak out” if we look at the big picture. While metal contamination in the food supply remains a global issue,

concentrations in the U.S. have declined in recent decades, the study’s authors note. Environmental health researchers point out that folks with a moderate intake should be fine. “If you’re

a serious chocolate eater, maybe you need to [lower] your consumption,” Rule says. When it comes to chocolate, it can be hard to set limits, says Frame, the director of integrative medicine

at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “It's very difficult to sit down and have a small amount of chocolate, right?” Based on the accumulating research, she

and other researchers recommend sticking with a 1-ounce daily serving if you do indulge, or 2 ounces every other day. “[The findings] should not mean, ‘Oh, I can never have chocolate,’ ”

Frame says.   One reason: Much of the research that linked dark chocolate with potential heart health benefits studied chocolate at this serving size, Frame says, so you won’t miss out on

any possible perks.   “And we’re thinking at that level of intake, you’re probably not seeing detriments from the heavy metals,” Frame adds. Another study published this summer in the

journal _Food Research International_ found that consuming an ounce of dark chocolate daily doesn’t pose a health concern for adults. “You don't want to have a ton of chocolate anyways

as part of a healthy life,” says Laura Corlin, an environmental epidemiologist at Tufts University School of Medicine. Even bars rich in cocoa content can contain high amounts of fat, sugar

and calories, which can lead to excess weight gain and the health complications that ensue. In response to this latest study, the National Confectioners Association, an industry trade

organization, issued a statement that “consumers understand that chocolate and candy are occasional treats and not center-of-the-plate foods.”