What to do about lead/cadmium in chocolate | Episode 15

[@niscary]

Thanks for the great info: Yours was the best researched video I found on this topic🎉

[@vlmdrounds]

@niscary My pleasure. It's my goal of this channel to present the best science and its application. I am glad you found it helpful.

[@Viv8ldi]

I love it thank you

[@Viv8ldi]

I am living keto and I have a bar with 100 percent chocolate with me all the time in case I cant get something healthy to eat. I mostly let one piece of it dissolve on my tongue, but its always on an empty stomache. Now I have to be more careful

[@flanker909]

Sweet lady and interesting information. I love dark chocolate, it's one of my favorite snacks but with this in mind I try now to lower my consumption and go for 70% cocoa instead of 85/90%.

[@vlmdrounds]

Thank you. And don't eat your chocolate on an empty stomach!

[@cya177]

Thank you for the detailed information. Your voice is so soft and calming and it makes listening very pleasant to listen to.

[@vlmdrounds]

@cya177 My pleasure. I hope you found it helpful

[@pauladdae3130]

Some brands have lower amounts of lead and cadmium and hence are better choices. Such as some dark chocolate products from: Ghirardelli, Mast, Taza and Valrhona (Abinao 85%). These are not easy to get in the UK though, apart from the latter. Not sure about Hu or Montezuma. However, both have published details stating that the levels in their products are acceptable according to EU standards - yet those levels are still very high. The bog standard dark chocolates in the large supermarket chains may have larger amounts.

[@vlmdrounds]

Yes, thank you. It's a good idea to try to get the brands that have lower contamination levels. Would be nice though, if we never had this problem in the first place...

[@debarghyasaha6801]

Really educative video. I appreciate your effort to teach us about the various harmful effects of lead and cadmium. Thank you❤❤

[@vlmdrounds]

So glad it was helpful!

[@BrowncoatBlue]

Hi, Dr. Loh! I hope you're doing very well! I think this was a great topic. I wasn't really aware of this being specifically in chocolate, but I think the good news and tips you provided should let some folks relax a bit. Funny enough, just yesterday I received a letter from my city saying lead has been detected in the area, so now I need to get my free test done through them. I use a filter that is supposed to eliminate it, but now I feel like I should get my blood tested. 😆 When I thought back about this, the lead contamination would then exacerbate the cadmium absorption, due to iron being bound? Yikes 😳

[@vlmdrounds]

Yes, lead exposure over time may cause iron deficiency which can then increase cadmium absorption--a double whammy! Contamination of water with lead is a problem in many areas of the world. I actually distill my water (a simple distillation unit is roughly about $200 which you can buy at any online store named after a rainforest!) But if you do that, make sure you get your minerals in some other form to avoid mineral deficiency. Sigh. It's a complex world, isn't it?

[@howardcohen6817]

very well done, Loh. I seem to recall that chocolate from Peru (West Africa) is more contaminated as from the more central countries (like you said - has to do with the kind of earth in which the plants grow. Coffee? Thanks.

[@vlmdrounds]

Thank you! Yes, well, it's not my favorite drink but coffee is protective against liver cancer, so I drink it medicinally!

[@cathybrown4102]

Peru is in South America. Ghana which is in Africa has better cocoa with less heavy metals

[@ervinjackson3261]

I’m a scholar I’ve been studying the stuff for years it’s true

[@vlmdrounds]

Thank you for watching. I wish we had better quality control on our food supply!

[@betzib8021]

@@ervinjackson3261 so where do you get chocolate?

[@vlmdrounds]

@@betzib8021 Personally, I am not a chocolate fan (sorry). More a vanilla fan. However, I do mention towards the end how to decrease absorption of those chemicals when you do eat chocolate.

[@keithcurrams]

Great video, great info, thank you!

[@vlmdrounds]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@paulhart3812]

Why is it so difficult to just eliminate lead and cadmium from the production process? Surely SOMEONE can do it. It might be expensive, but people will pay a premium to have chocolate that’s free of heavy metals.

[@vlmdrounds]

I agree that where there's a will, there's a way. I don't know the costs involved but there might be a business case for a motivated entrepreneur...

[@JohnnyBoy-c4b]

Informative. Thank you! Could you talk about the benefits of consuming chocolate so that I can make an informed decision about whether or not to eat it?

[@vlmdrounds]

@user-jy8nn6uv9n Just off the top of my head, the flavanols can have cardio-protective effects and antioxidant properties. The phenols are also antioxidants. They contain some healthy minerals (alas, along with the unhealthy ones like lead and cadmium). The dose, however, is important as it has to be fairly significant to have a measurable effect, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 a bar a day. I personally don't really think it's worth the potential dose of lead and cadmium on a daily basis. .

[@JohnnyBoy-c4b]

@@vlmdrounds Thank you!

[@chandrasekharmukherjee2794]

Hi, Dr. Loh! can you please write in brief the measures one can take to reduce the amount of heavy metals in our body?

[@vlmdrounds]

I will work on this. It may take me a while but I'll get to it!

[@nancyhoward2876]

Thank you so much for this video.

[@vlmdrounds]

You're welcome. Let me know if you have any questions.

[@angeliclight-h8h]

Hi Hershey cocoa powder is there lead cadinum or what ever chemical please let me know thank you .

[@vlmdrounds]

@user-kg5ij5ic6b According to Consumer Reports, Hershey's Naturally Unsweetened 100% Cocoa Powder contained 125% lead and 18% cadmium. Percentages refer to the % above California’s maximum allowable dose level of 0.5 micrograms for lead and 4.1 micrograms for cadmium.

[@howardcohen6817]

The numbers are devastating. It's no wonder that Hershey -one of the first and biggest USAmerican companies in Peru do their best to conceal this. Some of the Dutch, bio-Kakao are relatively low in poisons. I enjoy 85% chocolate and add to it what I like. I grew up being addicted to Hershey's kisses.

[@WarmFuzzyVibes]

The cosmetics industry is shameful too. Lead in lipstick is unacceptable. So many chemicals!

[@vlmdrounds]

Yes, sadly this is not well-known to most consumers.

[@Viv8ldi]

Doktor Loah, what do you think about Aluminium and other metals in vaccines if I may ask please?

[@vlmdrounds]

The aluminium is used as an adjuvant to enhance the immune response and allow a much smaller dose of the antigen. Breast milk contains 13.4ng/ml. It has been noted that a higher adjuvant load in babies may have some effects per AI modeling and animal models. See: DOI: 10.1016/j.pedneo.2014.03.001

[@Viv8ldi]

@@vlmdrounds thank you so much doktor💕. I cant believe u answered 🙏

[@vlmdrounds]

@@Viv8ldi You're welcome!

[@CondorAHLS]

Great usable information and thoroughly and excellently presented. Ok, I guess I am now done consuming dark chocolate for cognitive function benefits. I’ll stick to just hard cardio, healthy diet, and reading.

[@vlmdrounds]

I hope you'e not a chocolate lover! I am more of a vanilla fan so it's not such a sacrifice...

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: When you consume your chocolate on an empty stomache absorbtion goes up to 60-80 percent in adults and 100 % in children

[@vlmdrounds]

Yes, such a simple change but what a big difference it makes. You're a good note-taker!

[@barpoe]

I'm wondering about aluminium. A lot of chocolate is wrapped in tin foil, aluminium actually. Chocolate seems to be tested for other heavy metals but not aluminium. Wouldn't that be a concern?

[@vlmdrounds]

Good question. The difference here is that the lead and cadmium are IN the cocoa solids. They are not separated out from the chocolate. The foil is a covering that is around the chocolate and does not contaminate the chocolate. We're not talking about Contact here, we are talking about the metals being mixed IN the ingredients. Hope that helps.

[@paulluckey6997]

DMSO removes heavy metals from the body

[@vlmdrounds]

That is a good point. However, it may induce other changes in the body such as genome-wide changes so I would be cautious. www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40660-0

[@miaslifestartedat50]

What is DMSO and where do I buy it?

[@bluegray8428]

Cadmium from Paints - Cadmium Yellow 😂 Chrome Yellow 😅

[@vlmdrounds]

Yes, true. Cadmium is found in paint. Also in makeup, which is even scarier...

[@KORTOKtheSTRONG]

neat

[@pinkpanther7030]

To eat daily just a bit out of 100gr. bar of dark chocolate can it be safe? Or opting for a milk chocolate instead, is it safer I wonder.

[@vlmdrounds]

The milk chocolate has less contamination but then there's more sugar, so that's the trade off. If you do opt for small amounts of dark chocolate, then do it after a meal and not on an empty stomach.

[@pinkpanther7030]

@@vlmdrounds 🙂 thanks

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Cadmium and lead are found in the coco solids and less in the coco butter

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: not all of the cadmium is absorbed, when you are iron defficient you absorb more

[@cautioushubbard3074]

There's a 1000 videos on cadmium none to help solve problem

[@vlmdrounds]

Yes, there is no perfect solution, unfortunately. However, if you love chocolate, try going to 15:10 and 31:39

[@Dai-Verse-IT]

👍

[@jkbc]

the choices are die by sugar die by eating chocolate or die by doing nothing

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: When you stay around smokers you also inhale cadmium

[@josevalverde2263]

What can humans eat?

[@vlmdrounds]

I know, it's sad, isn't it? Everything is contaminated these days!

[@AlexLacorum-hf9ie]

Eat organic if possible and for those foods that had toxic metals and substances if possible refrain from eating or minimize consuming and have a regular exercises to prevent toxic to accumulates since sweating carries toxic outside the body . In organic store they sale organic cosmetic, tooth paste, soap, laundry soap, shampoo, conditioner etc. So replace those non organic to organic products we use personally. And also use stainless coockwares since others coockwares when heated in high temperature emates poisonous chemicals that goes to the food your cooking. And also be aware of the low radiation on microwaves, tv, laptop and cellphones.

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Blei und Kadmium in Schokolade

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Root vegetables wie Kartoffeln können auch Kadmium aufnehmen

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Lead can cause Anemia

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Areas with vulcanos have more cadmium in the earth

[@Viv8ldi]

memo: Cadmium is considered a cancerogen

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Cadmium is used in batteries and solar cells

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Cadmium will increase oxidative stress, will use up your glotathione

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: in the liver 4-19 years Halbwertszeit

[@Viv8ldi]

Memo: Kakao and Coco are the same thing

[@Viv8ldi]

Kakao uses much lower temperature

[@nvraoo]

Pls give solution straightforward

[@vlmdrounds]

@nvraoo Hi--I will try to make a synopsis video as many have requested it. I just haven't had the time. My apologies as this podcast is primarily geared towards medical professionals and I realize this episode is too long for the general public. I will work on a shorter video in the next few months. Thanks for listening.

[@howardcohen6817]

@@vlmdrounds I found the video succinct, informative and made me call a few friends and family on this. Brava.

[@cathybrown4102]

God forbid you should get educated first

[@pauladdae3130]

Some brands have lower amounts of lead and cadmium and hence are better choices. Such as some dark chocolate products from: Ghirardelli, Mast, Taza and Valrhona (Abinao 85%). These are not easy to get in the UK though, apart from the latter. Not sure about Hu or Montezuma. However, both have published details stating that the levels in their products are acceptable according to EU standards - yet those levels are still very high. The bog standard dark chocolates in the large supermarket chains may have larger amounts.

[@betzib8021]

Could you just cut to the chase and tell us how to buy it without heavy metals since I don't want either lead or sugar.

[@vlmdrounds]

Hi, sorry, I know it's long and although I try to make it less technical, the focus audience is science/healthcare professionals so had to go into more detail. I have been meaning to do a more general consumer friendly video but it's been challenging managing this channel and full-time work. Anyway, re: how to buy it: basically it is really hard to find uncontaminated cocoa. For this reason I focused on how to consume it to lessen toxic absorption. Sadly, the higher the sugar content, the less toxic contamination and vice versa. I can only offer ways to consume that would decrease absorption. Perhaps one solution would be to find chocolate that has been sweetened with non-sugar sweeteners--just a thought.

[@jeanpaultongeren125]

@@vlmdrounds that means I cant eat chocolate no more. What a bummer

[@vlmdrounds]

@@jeanpaultongeren125 Maybe in small amounts and never on an empty stomach...try a brand with less contamination such as the Ghirardelli brand...

[@callmeishmael3031]

Ghirardelli 86% is the better of the bunch.

[@jeanpaultongeren125]

@@callmeishmael3031 cant buy that one here. I still have 3 bars of LIndt 100% n my closet