INCREASE IN CALCIURIA AND OXALURIA AFTER A SINGLE CHOCOLATE BAR LOAD

Chocolate, a foodstuff rich in sucrose, fat and oxalate, is considered unsuitable in cases of obesity, diabetes mellitus, urolithiasis and p ostprandial hypoglycemia. However the pathophysiological effects of ch ocolate are poorly documented. Therefore we investigated the effects o f ingestion of 100 g dark chocolate bar (45 g cocoa and 55 g sucrose) on carbohydrate, calcium and oxalate metabolisms in 10 healthy subject s. Results were compared to those of 55 g sucrose intake (control grou p) performed on another day. Chocolate caused i) a lesser but longer i ncrease in plasma glucose, insulin, and C-peptide than sucrose (respec tively +23% of baseline vs +60%, p<0.001; +436% of baseline vs +755%, p<0.01 and +200% of baseline vs +331%, p<0.01), ii) a striking increas e in triglyceridemia, calciuria and oxaluria (respectively +96%, p<0.0 1; +147%, p<0.01 and +213%, p<0.001). Thus, chocolate (cocoa + sucrose ) causes a lesser pancreatic stimulation than sucrose. However, the in creases in both calciuria and oxaluria (induced respectively by sucros e and cocoa) following chocolate ingestion might contribute to urinary conditions favoring the development of calcium oxalate calculi.