An indispensable product for some, aluminum foil is present in almost every home. These main uses are limited to the kitchen, where it serves as food packaging. But is this product healthy enough to come in contact with our food? Answer in this article.
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We all have at least one roll of aluminum foil at home! Mainly used in cooking to pack food to keep for a longer period or to cook, this product can also be used for other therapeutic and cosmetic purposes.
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, aluminum foil can help relieve pain, especially joint pain. This product also allows to have a cooler complexion, when placed on the eyelids or the cheeks, after having spent an hour in the fridge.
This is to say that aluminum foil, can have different uses, but are they all sound?
The culinary uses of aluminum foil have long been pointed at. Many scientific studies have demonstrated the toxicity of this product, and yet it is still being used.
Aluminum, what danger to health?
Aluminum is naturally present in the environment. This metal can therefore be found in water and soil and is used in various fields.
According to information from the European Food Safety Authority, food that comes into contact with aluminum may contain traces of it. The transfer of this metal can be done in different ways either through aluminum foil, cooking food in, utensils or kitchen containers, or using aluminum salts as additives. Heat is to blame in this process. Indeed, when the temperature is high, the absorption of aluminum by the food is greater.
In addition, according to a study conducted by the Abu Dhabi Petroleum Institute and the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, aluminum is more readily introduced into acidic foods.
So these are the main sources of food exposures to aluminum, but the concern with this metal is that they are not the only ones. Indeed, there are several sources of exposure to aluminum. Vaccines, in particular, can contain them, as well as cosmetics including deodorants.
In case of overexposure to aluminum, this metal may be toxic. Therefore, the use of aluminum foil is not recommended because it can pose a real health hazard.
When it enters our body, aluminum accumulates in the tissues, especially bone. Its toxic effect therefore affects essentially this part of the body, as well as the central nervous system, where it can lead to psychomotor disorders and encephalopathies. But not that, aluminum can have other health effects.
Alzheimer may be affected by aluminum:
According to Professor Christophe Exley of the University of Keele in England, published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Neurology, aluminum could promote the development of Alzheimer's.
After exposure to aluminum, the body accumulates this metal, which it tries to eliminate but still does not manage to get rid of it altogether. There are often significant amounts in the bones, liver, spleen or brain. A significant accumulation of aluminum in the brain leads to toxicity, which neurons can not stand. This factor can therefore accelerate the occurrence of a degenerative disease, specifically Alzheimer's.
Following the various health problems to which it is linked, it is important to limit or even avoid the use of aluminum foil.
If you have no choice, try at least not to use it during cooking or to wrap acid foods like tomatoes. Also, do not pack food that you are going to refrigerate with aluminum foil.