Dark chocolate is always recommended before milk chocolate because it is supposedly less harmful to health since it has less sugar and more antioxidants.

But what few people know is that this type of chocolate contains

excessive amounts of heavy metals

.

Specifically cadmium and lead.

That is the conclusion reached by the

Consumer Reports

organization , after analyzing 28 dark chocolate bars of different brands in the United States.

According to the study, eating just one ounce a day of 23 of these tablets would mean that an adult would ingest a level of these metals that public health authorities and experts consider to be unhealthy.

Constant and prolonged exposure, even to small amounts, of heavy metals can cause a wide variety of health problems, including

different types of cancer

.

The danger is greatest for pregnant people and young children because metals can cause developmental problems and affect brain development.

Dark chocolate's reputation as a relatively healthy confection stems primarily from the cocoa solids it contains.

These are packed with flavanols, which are antioxidants linked to better blood circulation, reduced inflammation, and lower cholesterol.

Dark chocolate is also lower in sugar and higher in fiber than milk chocolate, and it has magnesium and potassium.

But it is also in the cocoa solids that the heavy metals are found, especially cadmium.

That makes it difficult to balance the risks and benefits of dark chocolate.

But if most of the chocolate bars in CR's tests had worrying levels of lead, cadmium, or both,

five of them had relatively low levels of both

.

"This shows that it is possible for companies to make products with lower amounts of heavy metals and for consumers to find products safer," the experts say.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • USA