Unwanted chemicals in your food can aggravate the ageing process
In Greek mythology, Icarus and his father were imprisoned in a labyrinth by King Minos of Crete. To escape, the father made wings using feathers held together with beeswax. Before their flight, the father warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, as the intense heat would melt the wax holding the feathers. Icarus, overcome by the thrill of flight, ignored his father’s warnings and flew higher and higher toward the sun. As warned, the heat of the sun melted the wax, and the wings fell off. Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.
Unlike Icarus, we need to take heed of the warnings of science with regard to food contact chemicals.
Over 1800 food contact chemicals (FCCs) are known to contaminate food.
FCCs are chemicals used to store, process, package and serve foodstuffs. Many of these FCCs are known to be hazardous to health, and many others have never been tested. What is even more worrying is that we don’t know what effect the combination of these chemicals has on health. There is no known way of testing for that.
To make this point clear, let me illustrate
Say we are exposed to 4 chemicals that find their way into food. Let’s call them A, B, C, and D.
Let’s also say that we know what the effect of each of these chemicals has on the body. But what happens when chemical A comes into contact with chemical B? We know from high school chemistry that there will be some sort of reaction. There may be a different chemical formed. Let’s call it X.
What about A+C? Say Y is formed.
A+D = say Z is formed.
What about A+B+C?
Or A+B+C+D
Or A+B+Z
Or C+X and so on.
When we talk about environmental chemicals in another newsletter, you will learn that there are more than 80,000 chemicals we are exposed to. Add these to the above 1400, and what do we have?
Many of these are implicated in inducing cancer and other diseases.
I am not trying to be alarmist, but we need to know and take action to minimize the exposure. With foods, the biggest exposure is in food packaging, especially takeout foods. These are usually delivered hot in plastic containers. By the time the food is eaten, some plastic would have made its way to the food. If the food has gotten cold, that food is commonly microwaved in its original container, so more plastic is absorbed.
This knowledge of the effect of takeout foods is becoming common knowledge now.
But what about plastic-wrapped foods like cheese or frozen food packaging? Even if the food comes in cardboard wrapping, it is treated with a chemical to prevent the food from leaking through the packaging. Bottled water is another example. Remember, the softer the plastic, the more easily the chemical leeches out.
An aspect of Healthy Ageing is avoiding or minimising exposure to food and environmental chemicals. They have been associated with the onset of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. We will be covering these research-based findings in future newsletters.
As for Icarus, the place where he fell became known as the Icarian Sea, and a nearby island was named Icaria in his memory. We don’t want to be remembered for our foolishness, for by ignoring the science, we too will fly too close to the sun.
Reference:
Evidence for widespread human exposure to food contact chemicals PMID: 39285208
Medical Disclaimer:
This newsletter is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The content should not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read in this newsletter. Reliance on any information provided here is solely at your own risk.
