Friday, October 10, 2014

Dangers of Potassium Bromate

Artificial additives like Potassium bromate found in wraps, rolls, flatbread, breadcrumbs and bagel chips can be dangerous to health if consumed in large quantities.

Almost everything we buy in grocery stores contain harmful additives, preservatives, and artificial flavors & colors, whether its packaged food or raw fruits and vegetables. Several types of bread, rolls or flour contain Potassium bromate, which is a powerful oxidizing agent that chemically ages flour very quickly than open air. This lessens the time required for baking (thus decreasing costs) and also allows the use of low quality flour that may or otherwise be inappropriate for baking, which in turn helps companies save money. Those who consume products that contain Potassium bromate frequently and in large doses, remain at a higher risk for various types of cancer, kidney, and nervous system disorders. Now let’s see in detail the dangers of Potassium bromated (aka brominated flour), and why you should avoid foods that contain it.
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Food additives have been used since centuries like honey, sugar, herbs, and salt, whereas these days the range of additives obtainable has shot up. Mostly all things in stores contain some or the other additives. And now, with fast-changing lifestyles, people tend to cook less at home, rather choose various ready-to-eat foods right off the shelf. Hence, you must be careful about what you are ingesting, because artificial additives can be dangerous to health.

Potassium bromate is so broadly accepted as a carcinogen that it has been banned in many countries like Europe, Canada, and China, excluding U.S. and Japan. Potassium bromate (KBrO3) contain the same harmful chemicals like Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO). This chemical is allowed by the U.S. law for using it as an ingredient in foods as it was first approved by the FDA back in 1958, prior to modern anti-cancer legislation went into effect. Potassium Bromate has received FDA approval so it is quite tough to ban it. In California, a warning label is essential when bromated flour is used.

Nowadays, lots of small and commercial bakeries don't use bromated flour, although it is still found in numerous fast food buns and some flours, among other products. In order to avoid food additives like Potassium bromate, you should check ingredients lists for "potassium bromate" and "bromated flour." The chemical based products like potassium bromate generally become metabolized into dangerous substances within various organs, and usually target those definite places once produced. In case of potassium bromate, cancer could develop in the kidney or thyroid. It is also linked to nervous system disorders and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Besides causing cancer and kidney failure, potassium bromate can even cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin and eye inflammation and hearing loss, whose effects are generally found in accidental swallowing of the pure chemical. Most importantly, pregnant women should avoid bromated flour since it has been linked with gene mutation. It is not possible to wholly avoid consuming artificial food additives; however you must try to cut back on them, by purchasing fresh and organic fruits & vegetables and by cooking at home, instead of buying processed ready-to-eat items.

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