Who among us hasn't been through this? You come back home after an exhausting day and you need to cook a meal for yourself or your family. Needless to say that it needs to be done as quickly as possible. What is the key to such situation? The answer is convenience. This is where non-stick cookware comes in. The food never sticks making it very easy to cook and clean and thus saving you a significant amount of time. Convenient, isn't it? But, what if you were told that such convenience comes at a price?
The surface of all the non-stick cookware is made out of certain substances which make the surface slippery and water resistant. Specifically, it contains perfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS. Once heated, these substances release a significant amount of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is directly infused into the food. According to several researches, all these substances are toxic and are bound to lead to health issues, from light to severe.
Health Implications:
The first and most severe health implication due to non-stick cookware is liver toxicity. All these toxins come straight through the liver. Liver's main function is to filter all the unnecessary and harmful substances out of the human body. High PFAS concentration in the liver can result in disruption of the endocrine and immune system and inconsistencies in the system, in general.
Another hazardous ramification of PFAS intake is related to high cholesterol and exposure to potential obesity tendencies. To be more exact, PFAS slows down the metabolism rhythm. Increase in cholesterol levels, weight gain tendencies and delayed puberty are direct results of such metabolism delay.
One more negative impact of PFOA includes kidney and testicular types of cancer. It should be mentioned, though, that such epidemiological evidence are suggestively associating these health hazards to PFAS and PFOA.
Among others, the existence of PFAS can negatively influence the effectiveness of vaccines as far as the immune system is concerned. In other words, an immune system drenched in PFAS can and will respond poorly to any type of vaccines. Such incapability increases the chances of one catching a simple cold or fever in everyday life.
It becomes clear that the use of non-stick cooking utensils comes at a cost, a health cost. Taking all of the above into consideration, one suggestion is strongly implied. Each and every one should cultivate a habit of caution. Considering our modern lifestyle, the importance of convenience is truly undeniable. But, in no way should we prefer convenience over our health.
Kommentare