Oxalic acid, or oxalate, is found in a number of foods, including certain fruits and vegetables and chocolate. If you consume large amounts of oxalic acid, you may have an increased risk for certain health conditions due to the way oxalic acid reacts with calcium in your body. Some people may find a low oxalate diet beneficial.
Oxalic Acid in Chocolate
Chocolate is one of the eight foods that are most responsible for causing high levels of oxalic acid, according to Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology. One hundred grams of cocoa powder contains 623 mg of oxalate, and 100 g of plain chocolate contains 117 mg of oxalate. Low oxalate diets recommend consuming less than 50 g of oxalate per day, which means avoiding chocolate since it has such high levels of oxalate.
Kidney Stones
If you are prone to calcium oxalate kidney stones, you may want to follow a low oxalate diet. The effect on the body of consuming chocolate may be partly responsible for the formation of calcium oxalate kidney stones, according to a study published in the journal "Nephron." in 1989. Oxalate combines with calcium to form this type of kidney stone, so minimizing the amount of oxalate in your diet may lower your risk of suffering from kidney stones. Consuming chocolate leads to a temporary spike in the levels of oxalic acid in your body.
Osteoporosis
Oxalic acid binds with calcium, decreasing the amount of calcium your body absorbs. Chocolate consumption may have enough of an effect on calcium absorption to lower bone density, according to a January 2008 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," which found that women between the ages of 70 and 85 who consumed chocolate daily had lower bone density and bone strength than women who consumed chocolate less frequently.
Considerations
If you consume sufficient amounts of calcium and are not prone to kidney stones, eating chocolate from time to time is not likely to cause health problems. As long as you eat a variety of foods, the recommended daily allowance for calcium takes into account the varying rates of absorption of calcium, so you shouldn't suffer from nutritional consequences, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements.
References
- Jackson Siegelbaum Enterology; Kidney Stone Diet; Frank W. Jackson, M.D.
- Litholink Corp.: Oxalate Diet
- "Nephron"; Transient Hyperoxaluria After Ingestion of Chocolate as a High Risk Factor for Calcium Oxalate Calculi; P. Balcke, et al.; 1989
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Calcium
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Chocolate Consumption and Bone Density in Older Women; Jonathan M. Hodgson, et al.; January 2008
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