http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150615/jsp/knowhow/story_25776.jsp
The food we eat
Your Health - Dr. Gita Mathai
A particular brand of instant noodles was recently banned for containing higher than permissible levels of lead and MSG (monosodium glutamate). But why are higher levels of lead and ajinomoto or MSG bad for health?
Lead is a non biodegradable heavy metal, naturally present in the soil, which the human body cannot eliminate efficiently. Adverse health effects are seen when the blood levels are as little as 10 µg/dL in children and 40 µg/dL in adults. Lead interferes with the oxygen carrying capacity of blood by causing anaemia. If there is a coexisting deficiency of iron, zinc or calcium, the absorption and ill effects of lead increase.
In children, the IQ reduces, the attention span is short and hearing may be affected. Fatigue may set in. Physical growth is stunted. Later in life kidney damage and hypertension may occur.
Until recently, our petrol was not "unleaded." This meant that we breathed in lead contaminated fumes every day. Much of the paint used commercially and domestically is still lead based. The idols sold during festivals are often painted with lead based paints, as are inexpensive toys. Electronic waste and batteries are indiscriminately dumped. Small-scale industries and soldering units use lead.
The dumping of lead-based products into the environment lets lead seep into the soil. It then contaminates the ground water (which we all drink) leading to a slow build up of this poison in our body.
MSG, or its more primitive form glutamic acid, has been around for centuries as a taste enhancer. It is naturally present in foods such as tomatoes and mushrooms. No definite link has been established between this compound and cancer. It can cause allergies though. Some reactions may be mild, such as flushing and a headache. Others like palpitations, increased heart rate, chest pain and wheezing can be severe and require hospitalisation.
The food we eat every day is laden with toxins. Cooked dishes may have artificial colours like tartarazine, allura red or food yellow added to enhance their appearance. Small quantities of these can cause food intolerance and allergies. Children who consume large quantities of these colours in beverages, sauces, jams, pastries and biscuits can become hyperactive.
Fruits and vegetables are shipped out from farms before they ripen because of logistics (ripe fruits are fragile and have a short shelf-life). Farmers tend to use high doses of pesticide during transportation to protect the crop. These pesticides affect the brain, breathing and can cause cancer. After the fruits reach the market, a chemicals such as calcium carbide, ethephon and oxytocin are used to hasten the ripening process. Calcium carbide is contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals like arsenic and phosphorus hydride. Ethephon gas is safer but as it is expensive farmers tend to dip fruits into impure and dangerous solutions of the product instead of using the gas. Oxytocin is a hormone and a neurotransmitter that can affect the brain.
Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore. Questions on health issues may be emailed to her at yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in
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