maybe it was the chocolate

"Excuse me? Was that directed to me?"

 

Actually, I'm just talking out loud and you happen to be here.

 

"Fine, I'll play. Maybe what was the chocolate?"

 

The sudden onset of my heart issue, of the atrial fibrillation.

I'm wondering now if it was from all that dark chocolate I was eating.

 

"Really? And what makes you wonder that?"

 

The ex sent me a link to a consumer report about the toxic levels of heavy metals present in several brands of dark chocolate.

I responded with "What?! Lead in dark chocolate?"

Not missing a beat, he replied, "Cadmium in your Cadbury bar."

(smile)

 

"Well, maybe that's some byproduct of the processing of those beans.

Maybe they've found the source and have corrected the issue."

 

Lead contamination does seem to be a function of processing.

However, that isn't true for the cadmium contamination.

Back in 2019, a group called As You Sow had a lawsuit against several chocolate manufacturers because of the lead and cadmium content of their candy.

That's when researchers found that cacao plants take up cadmium from the soil, with the metal accumulating in cacao beans as the tree grows.

The darker the chocolate, the more cacao present, the higher the cadmium levels.

It's very disconcerting to think that something touted as a 'heart-healthy' treat might actually be a source of heart damage.

"Those all seem to be bar chocolate and you hardly ever ate those...

Damn!

Is that Dove Promises at the bottom of that list?

Those were your favorites!"

So they were.

By the end of summer 2021, I was going through them, too.

'Heart-healthy', right?

Plus, I enjoyed reading those little sayings inside the wrappers.

CVS was giving me a 40% off coupon from CVS every week, so I kept my habit supplied.

I was eating two ounces a day for the six months before I landed in the hospital.

That means 6 to 8 of the Promises, daily, split up as desserts for each meal.

Daily!

"So, just what kind of levels were found of cadmium and lead?

How did the study by Consumer Reports determine what "toxic" meant?"

 

Here's what they used as their standards.

To determine the risk posed by the chocolates in CR’s test, we used California's maximum allowable dose level (MADL) for lead (0.5 micrograms) and cadmium (4.1mcg)... because there are no federal limits for the amount of lead and cadmium most foods can contain, and CR’s scientists believe that California’s levels are the most protective available.

They tested the Dove Promises Deeper Dark Chocolate 70% Cacao.

Per ounce, that chocolate had 74% the MADL for lead and 112% the MADL for cadmium.

Since I was indulging in almost two ounces per day, that means I was consuming roughly 0.74 micrograms of lead and 9.184 micrograms of cadmium.

Damn.

Damn.

Damn.

Neither of those metals are good for blood pressure, either, so that was just exacerbating the problem that developed with my heart.

"I am so sorry to hear all that.

Can anything be done to offset the presence of the metals?"

Well, calcium is good for helping to clean those out. 

I eat plenty of milk and cheeses, so those have got to have made a dent in any of lead or cadmium still in my system.

Iron is helpful, too, so meat products, including the dairy and eggs, will be useful.

I wonder if any of my blood work at the VA checks for cadmium and lead?

Maybe I should ask my PCP about that.

 

"For your peace of mind, you certainly should.

Meanwhile, stay away from dark chocolate!

Heck, stay away from any chocolate!"

Yes, ma'am.

Will do.

Now, I'm going to put this behind me and go see the Christmas musical at the Savannah Children's Theatre.

This year, it's about Rudolph instead of Charlie Brown, so I'll see how it goes.

"You do that... and be sure to sing along, too."

(smile)