DNA damage assessed in users of aluminum cookware.
“Over the past few decades, the toxicity of aluminum to humans has been very Discussed and it is not yet fully clarified.” Those occupationally exposed Foods that are exposed to aluminium (e.g. in smelting plants) suffer from oxidative stress and free radicals that can damage their DNA. What about using only aluminium cookware? Articles such as “Exposure to metals from aluminium cookware: an unrecognised public health risk in developing countries”, suggestion an “unrecognized public health risk,” was limited to the developing world, where “cookware is made in informal shops by melting liquid aluminum from a collection of scrap metal,” including car radiators, lead batteries and computer parts, which is how so much lead can leach into people’s food.
“The relationship between plasma aluminum content, lymphocyte DNA damage, and oxidative status in individuals using aluminum containers and utensils on a daily basis” was later published. publishedsuggesting that aluminum itself may be harmful. Most of our exposure to aluminum comes from processed foods containing aluminum additives, “including those found in some processed cheeses, baking powders, cake mixes, frozen dough, and pancake mixes.” However, about 20 percent of daily aluminum intake may come from aluminum cookware, such as “pans, pots, kettles, and trays.”
Could this cause a problem? Researchers analyzed the blood of consumers who used aluminum cookware compared to those who didn’t and found that aluminum users not only had twice the level of aluminum in their blood, as you can see below and at 1:33 in my video. Are aluminum containers, bottles and foils safe?but they had Free radicals damaged their body fats and proteins more. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity of the bloodstream of those using aluminum cookware was compromised, so they suffered significantly more DNA damage.
In fact, as you can see below and at 1:52 in my videothose with the highest levels of aluminum in their blood lying Suffer significantly greater damage to their DNA. Not surprising, since “aluminum is considered to be a pro-oxidant agent.”
These people did not come by chance. wearing However, aluminum pots are more useful. Specifically, they are used daily to cook and store acidic foods, such as yogurt and tomato sauce, which can give off more aluminum. But even if you use “camping dishes,” which are often made of aluminum because it is so light, for a single week you could far exceed the recommended tolerable weekly intake, especially for children, if you add something acidic, such as marinating a fresh fish in lemon juice. Occasionally it won’t make much of a difference, but these findings suggest you may not want to cook in aluminum day after day.
What about aluminum beverage bottles? They’re nice and light, but kids drink Two cups of aluminium tea or juice a day may exceed the tolerable limit for aluminium exposure. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, safety authorities such as the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment “recommend that consumers avoid using aluminium pots or dishes for acidic or salty foods such as applesauce, rhubarb, tomato puree or salted herring… thus prophylactically avoiding the ‘unnecessary ingestion’ of aluminium.”
What about aluminum foil? Container Furthermore, baking food in aluminum foil is a common culinary practice. The concern is that this could represent “a potentially dangerous source of aluminum in the human diet.” When tested, aluminum did leak from the foil into food, but the amount was so small that it would be a bigger problem for young children or people suffering from decreased kidney function.
How about just? container Can you put food in aluminum foil to store it in the refrigerator? Only marginal increases in aluminum are seen, except when the food is in contact with the foil and at the same time with other types of metals, such as stainless steel, which is mostly iron. That creates a battery and “can lead to huge concentrations of aluminum in food.” For example, as you can see below and at minute 4:34 of my videoAluminum levels in a ham before and after spending a day wrapped in foil are negligible; you can barely notice a bump on the foil-covered ham. But, if that same foil-wrapped ham is left on a steel tray or serving platter for a day, the aluminum levels in the ham skyrocket.
Finally, do you know that aluminum foil is usually shiny on one side and dull on the other? What would be worse? Fish fillets were baked and roasted both ways, wrapped shiny side out versus dull side out, and no significant difference was found.
This is the first in a three-part series of videos on kitchen utensils. Stay tuned to Stainless Steel Steel or Cast Iron: Which Cookware is Better? Is Teflon Safe? and Are melamine plates and polyamide plastic utensils safe?.
I’ve talked about aluminum in antiperspirants, foods, medications, and tea. Check out related posts.
