Heavy Metals in Chocolate: How to Protect Your Body

Everyone loves chocolate. Most people are aware that their sugar-filled chocolate snacks are not the healthiest choice. In the meantime, extra dark chocolate is touted as an antioxidant-rich healthy snack in moderation. 

There is only one major health risk we don’t tend to talk about when it comes to chocolate. Heavy metals. 

Yep, you’ve read that right. Heavy metals may be hiding in it and harming your health when eaten on a regular basis. So what does it mean? 

How much do you have to worry about heavy metals in chocolate? How can you reduce your risk factors and protect your body from heavy metals in chocolate? Let’s talk about it.

Health Benefits of Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the favorite sweet snacks around the world. It is also among the most sought-after foods. The average American or Canadian consumes 12 to 14 pounds (5.4 – 6.4 kg) of chocolate a year (1, 2). 

Most of this chocolate doesn’t come in the form of organic dark chocolate or raw cacao products, but milk chocolates, candy bars, cakes, cookies, ice cream pasty, and other sugar desserts. These foods are loaded with refined sugar, pasteurized dairy, trans fats, artificial coloring, artificial flavors, preservatives, and other unhealthy ingredients. They are essentially empty calories.

So, can it be good for you? The answer is yes. Raw cacao, from which chocolate is made, is actually loaded with antioxidants. Many consider it to be a superfood. It has also been used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes across cultures, especially in South America. Raw cacao and even extra dark chocolate with 92% or more cacao has many health benefits.

Cacao, Cocoa, and Chocolate: What’s the Difference?

Let’s not confuse cacao with cocoa or chocolate, though. The cacao bead is the seed of a fruit grown on the cacao plant. It is high in antioxidant phytonutrients. You can enjoy raw cacao in the form of nibs, powder, and bars. 

When cacao seeds are processed, they become cocoa. During processing, cacao loses many of its health benefits. Cocoa is not a superfood anymore. Unfortunately, most commercial bars, candies, and chocolate desserts are made with cocoa. Once they add all the other unhealthy ingredients, chocolate products are barely even related to the superfood cacao.

Health Benefits of Cacao

If you reach for raw cacao and products made with raw cacao, you may encounter some amazing health benefits. Cacao may help to:

• Offer antioxidant benefits (3) and support antioxidant health (4)
• Reduce inflammation (3)
• Improve HDL cholesterol (5)
• Improve cardiometabolic health (6)
• Reduce blood pressure (7)
• Support cognition (8)
• Boost mood (9)

Moreover, unlike sugary and overly processed chocolate products, cacao itself is not physiologically addictive (10).

So does this mean that raw cacao and extra dark chocolate are completely safe and healthy? Unfortunately not. Your chocolate, even your healthy raw cacao and extra dark chocolate bars, may be contaminated with heavy metals.

Heavy Metals in Chocolate

I have previously and extensively written about the problems with heavy metals, including heavy metals, in your food. You may learn more about this here. Cacao and chocolates are among the foods that are at risk of heavy metal contamination. Researchers have found that some chocolate bars and other chocolate products may contain heavy metals, including lead and cadmium. 

Lead exposure can come from a variety of sources, including affected soil, indoor air, paint, and municipal tap water. A 2012 review has found that up to 35% of low-income homes may be affected by lead (11). Some foods, including chocolate, may also be affected by the soil. 

Lead exposure increases the risk of poor fetal development, kidney issues, digestive problems, fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure, brain fog, memory troubles, and mood disorders (12, 13).

Cadmium is another heavy metal found in tobacco and contaminated foods. You may be exposed through metalworking, soldering, battery manufacturing, or other occupational exposure. Cadmium retention increases the risk of kidney stones, kidney damage, liver disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, poor calcium metabolism, and cancer, including pancreatic, prostate, lung, kidney, breast, and nasopharynx cancer (14, 15, 16).

These heavy metals pose a health risk to both children and adults. You can learn more about the risks of lead exposure here and the risks of cadmium exposure here.

A 2023 report, Consumer Reports, examined the results of testing 28 different types of dark chocolate bars, milk bars, and other chocolate products and found heavy metals in all of them (16, 17, 18). They tested a variety of brands, including healthier ones.

They found at least one kind of heavy metal in all brands; many had both lead and cadmium. Researchers found higher levels than California’s maximum allowable dose level (MADL) of heavy metals in many products, which for lead is 0.5 microgram, and for cadmium, it’s 4.1 mcg. 

While the amounts of heavy metals are still small, long-term exposure to heavy metals may lead to a variety of serious health issues, including developmental issues, cognitive damage, reproductive issues, kidney damage, brain and nervous system problems, immune dysfunction, and more. Combined with exposure to heavy metals and toxins from other sources and chronic health issues, regular consumption of high-heavy metal chocolate may become a problem.

Chocolate bars that are high in heavy metals include (17):

• Divine, 85% dark: 56% cadmium, 120% lead
• Perugina, 70% premium dark: 82% cadmium, 314% lead
• Perugina, 85% premium dark: 68% cadmium, 539% lead

• Sam’s Choice (Walmart), Dark Chocolate 72%: 118% cadmium, 36% lead
• Evolved, Signature Dark 72%: 236% lead, 149% cadmium

Some of the safest choices may include (17):

• Sam’s Choice (Walmart), Dark Chocolate 85%: 99% cadmium, 43% lead
• Divine, 70%: 41% cadmium, 80% lead
• Lindt classic recipe milk chocolate: 13% cadmium, 11% lead
• Whole Food Market, Organic Milk: 40% cadmium, 37% lead
• Feastable Milk Chocolate:80% cadmium 36% lead
• Chocolove milk chocolate: 8% cadmium, 55% lead
• Heshey’s milk chocolate: 31% cadmium, 67% lead

Most chocolate chips seem to be at a safer level, meaning below MADL. Out of the cocoa powders tested, Dorset was tested at 324% lead and Hershey’s at 125% lead. Others were at a safer level. From the hot cocoa mixes tested, the following were among the highest in lead: Great Value (Walmart) (345%), Starbucks (159%), Trader Joe’s (112%), and Nestle (108%). In cake mixes and baking mixes, Ghiradelli’s brownie mix had 108% lead, Simple Mix almond flour had 127% lead, and Bob Red Mill’s had 218% lead (17).

How to Reduce Heavy Metals in Chocolate 

As you see, some cacao and chocolate products are safer than others. But can we improve this situation? According to the report, cacao and chocolate may be contaminated with lead or cadmium for various reasons (16). Contamination can occur after harvesting. In most cases, heavy metals are not found inside the bean but only in the outer shell. However, during the drying process, heavy metals from dust and dirt may accumulate and make their way into the bean too. Finally, heavy metals may also contaminate chocolate products at various steps of the manufacturing process.

Since heavy metals may make their way into chocolate both during harvesting and manufacturing, both areas need to be improved to lower the risk of heavy metals in chocolate. Since lead can come from the soil, contact with the soil needs to be minimized, especially during the drying process, which generally happens outdoors in the sun. Protective covers, clean tarps, and clean tables can help improve this process. Cacao beans need to be cleaned well to remove heavy metal contaminations before processing.

Moreover, careful breeding and even genetic engineering may help to decrease the heavy metal load. Improving soil quality by replacing older trees with younger ones is not a quick fix, but it may offer a long-term solution. Finally, manufacturing processes need to be improved and safety levels need to be ensured.

How to Reduce Your Heavy Metal Exposure from Chocolate

While these solutions may improve harvesting and manufacturing practices, you have little say in this process. So should you stop eating it altogether until all chocolate is heavy metal-free? 

Not necessarily. Following some practices, you may reduce your exposure to heavy metals from chocolate:

• Consider chocolate a treat. Chocolate shouldn’t be a major part of your life, but a small dessert on occasion, a few times a week, in small quantities. 
• Choose dark chocolate with lower cacao percentages: Though chocolate with higher cacao content has more antioxidants, choosing 70% dark chocolate may be a better bet to reduce your exposure to heavy metals.
• Choose brands from the safer list: Look at the list in the earlier section and choose chocolate with lower heavy metal levels.
• Be careful with milk chocolate and chocolate candy: Though generally at lower levels, milk chocolate can also contain heavy metals. These are generally also higher in sugar, and loaded with conventional dairy and other additives. If you must go for the ‘milky’ and sweeter taste, choose plant-based milk chocolate brands made with coconut milk, almond milk, or oat milk, and brands that use coconut sugar, stevia, xylitol, or honey as a sweetener. 
• Don’t get into the organic trap: Organic food products offer a lot of benefits. They don’t have pesticides, herbicides, and added hormones. They often are higher in nutrients. But if you look at the report, you can see that even organic chocolate is high in heavy metals. Don’t think that organic chocolate is a free for all. Be mindful and eat it as a treat.
• Pay attention to your overall chocolate intake: Remember, we are not only talking about chocolate bars. Chocolate candy, coca powder, hot chocolate, brownies, cookies, cakes, pastries, and other chocolate-filled goodies all count. Even homemade desserts. Keep your overall chocolate consumption low.

Other Strategies You Can Do to Support Your Body

Besides being mindful of chocolate, you can reduce your risk of health issues related to heavy metal exposure in other ways. Here is what I recommend:

Follow a Healthy Diet

Consume lots of greens, vegetables, herbs, spices, sprouts, fruits, nuts, seeds, grass-fed meat, pasture-raised poultry and eggs, wild-caught fish and seafood, and wild game. Instead of relying on it for antioxidants and flavonoids, eat grapes, apples, turmeric, green tea, berries, quercetin-rich foods, and other antioxidant-rich foods.

Consume foods that may help to counteract heavy metals, including sulfur-rich foods (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, and garlic), pectin-rich foods (e.g., green apples, pears, citrus, beets, carrots, and cabbage), high vitamin C foods (e.g., oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, red peppers, and kale), and high-amino acid foods (e.g., spinach, carrots, turnips, corn, grapes, plums, and pomegranates).

Reduce Your Exposure to Other Heavy Metals

Check your home and ensure there is no lead hiding in the paint, dust, or pipes. Visit a biological dentist to remove any dental amalgam fillings and take chlorella, glutathione and vitamin C (perhaps intravenously) to support detoxification post-procedure. Consume foods low or free from heavy metals. Choose purified water over tap water. Avoid smoking cigarettes and second-hand smoke. If you are at a high-risk job for heavy metal exposure, you may consider switching to a safer job, or if not possible, wearing protective gear and boosting detoxification. 

Detox Your Body

Hydrate your body with lots of purified water to support detoxification through urine and sweating. Support sweating by exercising your body, using an infrared sauna, and spending time outside in the sun when it’s warm outside. Support liver and kidney detoxification by eating grapefruits, prickly pear, cranberries, other berries, and olive oil. Consider using toxin binders, such as activated charcoal (19) and Pectasol, to help remove toxic heavy metals and other toxins.

Try n-acetyl cysteine (22), glutathione, and liver-friendly herbs, such as milk thistle and broccoli extracts, if appropriate for you, to support liver cleansing and detoxification (22). Support your lymphatic system through rebounding, exercise, and dry brushing. Gut health is important to support perhaps with daily probiotic supplements and foods rich in pre and probiotics. Zinc and selenium are minerals involved in metal detoxification processes.

 

Try Supplements to Reduce Heavy Metal Effects

You may also try some supplements to reduce the effects of heavy metal exposure, and reduce heavy metal retention in the body. Glutathione can help to reduce oxidative stress (20, 21). NAC (22) also applies here, as noted above. Vitamin C supports detoxification and assists cellular and immune function (23).  

Next Steps

Are you dealing with symptoms of heavy metal exposure or want to improve your diet and lifestyle? If you are dealing with any chronic health issues and need advice on how to improve your nutrition and health, I welcome you to start a functional medicine consultation with me for further personalized guidance. You may book your consultation here. 

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