BRUSSELS: Shop-bought chocolate sweets contain dangerous chemicals that can damage our DNA and cause cancer, researchers have warned.
In research, scientists have found that foods like waffles and cakes contain large amounts of carcinogens that have been added to them during the manufacturing process.
These compounds are created when cocoa beans are roasted to bring out the chocolate flavor in the food.
According to researchers at the Belgium-based Leuven Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, molecules called alpha-beta-unsaturated carbonyls are formed after cocoa beans are roasted and cocoa butter is added.
The researchers said that this process usually occurs in mass-produced foods because companies use high temperatures to make these foods, which adds more flavors and aromas to the products.
Carbonyls from the consumption of these foods can damage DNA after they interact with enzymes and proteins in people’s stomachs, which can speed up the rate of cell division and turn normal cells into cancerous cells.
In the study, scientists examined 22 sweet foods with and without chocolate, including waffles, cakes and biscuits.
The study found that nine out of 10 carbonyls were present in low amounts in packaged foods such as biscuits and crêpes. In contrast, the toxin was found in waffles and cakes at higher levels (4.3 mg/kg) than the recommended amount (0.15 mg/day).
