Chocolate absorbs lead from the environment during production, and there is a slight concern of mild lead poisoning for some types of chocolate. In a study of chocolate from Nigeria, the average lead concentration of cocoa beans was a very low 0.5ng/g, one of the lowest reported values for a natural food. For processed products, lead concentrations ranged from 70ng/g for chocolate products to 230ng/g for manufactured cocoa.[71] These measurements from Nigeria "are consistent with market-basket surveys that have repeatedly listed lead concentrations in chocolate products among the highest reported for all foods. One source of contamination of the finished products is tentatively attributed to atmospheric emissions of leaded gasoline, which is still being used in Nigeria."[71] These figures are still comparatively low when compared to 200,000ng, which is the WHO tolerable daily limit for lead consumption.[72] Additionally, chocolate is toxic to many animals because of insufficient capacity to metabolize theobromine.[2]
A BBC report indicated that melting chocolate in one's mouth produced an increase in brain activity and heart rate that was more intense than that associated with passionate kissing, and also lasted four times as long after the activity had ended.[73]
In later research, chocolate has been linked with multiple health benefits and liabilities. Research on elderly people showed chocolate might cause osteoporosis.[74] However, more research has shown that it will boost cognitive abilities.[75] Further, dark chocolate and cocoa butter have been linked with multiple positive effects. Scientific evidence has suggested dark chocolate can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems[76] and also reduce blood pressure in both overweight and normal adults.[76] Finally, studies have shown dark chocolate as part of a low-fat diet can lower cholesterol levels in adults.[77]
In August 2011, Cambridge research published in the British Medical Journal: Eating high levels of chocolate could be associated with a significant reduction in the risk of certain cardiovascular disorders.[78]
The text was was derived from the Chocolate page on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It is for educational use in COSC 101, Intro to Computing I, at Colgate University.