Late at night, you have a coffee craving and you have a steaming cup within seconds, you come home from work and you food is heated to perfection, Microwaves have become like the jinn in the lamp fulfilling all our desires in minutes. They are helmed as ‘smart appliances’ as they use minimum oil for cooking.
With so many benefits and convenience involved, we hardly think about the safety of microwaves, we just assume they are safe because they are present in the market and so must be tested and researched. Let’s just question this assumption and then make a decision about their safety.
Let’s first understand how Microwave ovens works,
Microwave ovens work on the action of microwaves which are invisible waves of electric and magnetic energy. Microwave ovens have a tube called as magnetron that produces micro radiation that penetrates directly into the food and is absorbed by asymmetrical molecules like water, fats and sugar. These molecules vibrate when absorbing the microwave, the vibrations occur several million times in a second which causes heat.
Since it deals with molecule of food itself, some say this vibration of food molecules changes its composition and reduces the nutritional content of the food.
Research
We give you what the official authority says and what research is available against the microwaves.
FDA’s stand
According research by Food and Drug Administration (US), “Microwave cooking does not reduce the nutritional value of foods any more than conventional cooking. In fact, foods cooked in a microwave oven may keep more of their vitamins and minerals, because microwave ovens can cook more quickly and without adding water.” FDA also squashes the argument that Microwave radiation poses a threat by stating that the exposure is very weak to cause harm.
With FDA supporting Microwave cooking, it has penetrated 90% of homes in USA and has 1.2 million users in India. This number is sure to grow as the convenience attracts more consumers every year. The research below is what raises questions about microwaves. Most of the research is not accepted in all scientific circles but since they are not many studies on microwaves, these cannot be written off. We give all the research present and give you the choice of making a well thought of decision.
Carcinogenic properties
Russians were some of the first ones to do extensive research on microwave. After studying its effects on human body, they banned microwaves in 1974. Though the ban no longer exists, it started a stir regarding the safety of microwaves.
The study findings of the Russian research were published by Atlantis Raising Educational Center in Portland, Oregon. The results are as follows:
- Microwaving milk and cereal grains converted some of their amino acids into carcinogens.
- Microwaving prepared meats sufficiently to insure sanitary ingestion caused formation of d-Nitrosodienthanolamines, a well-known carcinogen.
- Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens.
- There was a drop of 60-90 % of nutritional value (of food) after microwaving it. There was a drop in vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals in all foods tested.
Effect on physiology of Blood
Mr. Hans Hertel features prominently in the anti- microwave brigade. He was a Swiss food scientist who worked with a major food company. In 1991 he along with a Lausanne University professor published a paper indicating that food cooked in microwave ovens could pose a greater risk to health than food cooked by conventional means.
His study of the affect of nutrients on blood physiology showed that the changes that took place in the participants' blood that could cause deterioration in the human system.
Participants who were given food cooked in microwave showed decrease in all hemoglobin and cholesterol values, especially the ratio of HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol) values. There was also a dip in the number of white blood cells for short term when they consumed food cooked in microwave.
After these findings were published, the Swiss authority passed a gag order against Hertel and Blanc who worked with him. In 1998, the decision was reversed.
Breast milk turns toxic
In the December 1989 issue of the British medical journal, Lancet, it was reported that microwaving baby formula created a disturbing result. Certain amino acids - the building blocks of proteins -undergo structural changes that render them biologically unusable. One of the amino acids, L- proline was changed into a form known to be toxic to the nervous system and to the kidney.
Vegetables lose anti oxidants
A Spanish study published in the journal of Food and Agriculture in 2003 shows that microwave causes the foods to lose their nutritional content. According to the study, broccoli lost about 97% of flavonoids, 74% of sinapics and 87% of caffeoyl-quinc derivatives, which are anti-oxidants compounds. Steamed broccoli on the other hand loses only 11%, 0% and 8 % of these compounds.
Other than the other disadvantages of microwaves are food cooked in microwaves are vulnerable to microbes, radiation emitted by microbes can affect the fertility of humans and can even pose risk of cancer. These are yet to be proven by the researches.
Expert talk
Dr. Shweta Iyengar says that she does not really believe that microwaves can be harmful to us. When asked about the anti-oxidants being lost due to microwave she counters with, “Cooking in any form causes loss of anti-oxidants. So, we advice people to consume salads and raw vegetables to get their nutrients” When told about the large difference between the nutrients lost in steaming and microwaving, she says that it depends about the mode used, in microwaves also there are modes like fry, steam, bake and grill and the amount of nutrients lost depend on the amount of heat applied.
To conclude she feels that there are no big advantages and disadvantages, from a diet perspective that she sees. She says, “It is more of convenience than anything else and since it is a relatively new product long term effect will also be seen in the future.”
So here it is, we gave you all round view, the ball is now in your court, you decide whether you will take the risk and use microwaves or rather keep away….
