Formaldehyde Toxic Effects To Our Health: Toxins In Snack Foods

Identifying foods free from toxic compounds, such as formaldehyde, is really important for preserving our overall health and wellbeing. This is because toxins can interfere with the wellness of our organs, initiate oxidative stress and cause certain diseases. Moreover, nutrition is central to our wellness, without the right nutrients the tissues in our body won’t work as well.

Most people will tell you that highly processed foods are bad for you, especially snack foods. Some snack foods are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and have been exposed to the high temperatures of food processing that are known as fat frying. This process can generate very high concentrations of genetically toxic lipid oxidation products.

These compounds can be very dangerous for our health and produce a large oxidative stress response. A large proportion of the world’s population are consuming highly oxidised lipids or fats as part of their diet. Particularly in processed snacks, which may be contributing to various inflammatory diseases.

One of these lipid generated toxins that forms in snack foods is known as formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a highly reactive aldehyde. Formaldehyde readily penetrates into fried foods and as oxidative molecule could be responsible for various inflammatory diseases. Classic examples of formaldehyde prone snack foods include potato chips and crisp snacks.

Here the possible toxic effects of formaldehyde, that can be readily generated in our snack foods, will be looked at.

How Formaldehyde Has Toxic Effects

The cells and tissues of our body exist in a homeostasis, or a state where conditions for their existence are well regulated. Oxidative stressors, reactive molecules or toxins threaten to seriously damage our tissues and so the reduction of oxidative stress is central to this process.

This is why we have antioxidants within the body. They are able to intercept oxidative molecules or toxins and remove them from the body. Some key antioxidants include superoxide dismutase and glutathione. Reactive molecules can cause all sorts of issues from damaging regulatory parts of cells, our genetics and cell proteins or fatty acids.

This can then result in a range of health problems if these damages accumulate over time, including cancers or inflammatory diseases. Of course, harmful toxins that we eat in our foods sap key antioxidant vitamins and could also harm our immune system or tissue functioning.

While cooking with polyunsaturated fatty acids and trends like air frying are considered by many to healthy, there is a lack of consideration as to how these polyunsaturated fatty acids are processed during frying or high heating. Saturated fat seems to be a little resistant to these effects. This is hugely apparent through food processing. Food processing is able to generate large amounts of genotoxic lipid oxidation products also known as lipid peroxidation. One of these lipid oxidation products of health concern is formaldehyde. Because of the highly reactive state of formaldehyde, this lipid oxidation product that can cause harm to our health and is important to be aware of.

Toxic Consequences Of Formaldehyde Consumption

Once eaten in fried or high temperature cooked fatty snack foods, such as potato chips or crisp snacks, formaldehyde enters the digestive system where it can start to cause damage to our health. Although, some studies suggest that volatile aldehydes could cause health risks to employees in some food production centres. Researchers consider formaldehyde to be an air pollutant.

Formaldehyde And Cancer

Formaldehyde is first absorbed through the intestines, where it can contribute to oxidative stresses in the gut. Gut inflammatory damage can contribute to diseases such as bowel cancer but formaldehyde can induce cancer before this in the mouth and also within the urinary tract.

Once digested, formaldehyde can enter the lymph system or blood system where it can further induce inflammation or oxidative damage and cause cancers in key tissues of the body. This compound can cause leukemia and pharyngeal cancers, showing how purely toxic formaldehyde is.

Formaldehyde is quite toxic because of its chemical reactivity within the body. Formaldehyde can cause damage to important molecules such as DNA because it is a powerful electrophilic compound. It is so powerful that studies class formaldehyde as a toxic mutagen, this means it can cause cancers through genetic changes. This compound can cause such bad changes within cells that they undergo cell suicide and are unrecoverable.

Studies have found that a greater fried food intake, containing potential mutagens like formaldehyde, caused around 35% enhanced risk of prostate cancer. Cancer is just one of the potential toxic effects of formaldehyde for our health.

Formaldehyde And Inflammatory Diseases

Formaldehyde can also suppress many cellular processes causing organs to function at a lowered state. Build ups of this compound in the body would certainly negatively effect results at the gym or cognitive functioning because of genotoxic and inflammatory effects. Formaldehyde is extremely reactive and can react with DNA and proteins in the body to cause lasting cellular damage or oxidative stress.

Heart Diseases And Brain Cell Damage

When absorbed into the blood this can lead to improved risks of diseases within key tissues of the body. Regular intake of formaldehyde could have consequences for heart and circulation health through pro-inflammatory or oxidative damage. Formaldehyde has been shown to have negative effects on blood vessel health in particular. It is thought to be a cause of atherosclerotic oxidative injury to blood vessels. Formaldehyde can also damage LDL, causing it to oxidise. These are leading causes of heart disease and strokes. Formaldehyde could worsen diabetes and effect pancreas functioning. Formaldehyde could also worsen risk of or aggravate inflammatory diseases like Coeliac’s disease. These are other toxic effects from formaldehyde for our health.

Many neurological conditions are also dependent on sustained inflammation and oxidative stress. Formaldehyde consumption in foods may also contribute to this, while its high reactivity makes it dangerous for our brain cells to process. Formaldehyde has been observed to cause DNA damage in the mouth and oxidative damage that led to neuronal or brain injuries in rabbit brains. It is thought to cause huge amounts of nervous system damage when accumulated in brain tissues. Lowered antioxidant status is responsible for susceptibility to formaldehyde damage. Formaldehyde seems to have very toxic effects on our brain health.

Formaldehyde And Reproductive Damage

Exposure to formaldehyde may also induce reproductive damage and alter levels of certain hormones in the body. This could have consequences for optimal development and growth as we age. Formaldehyde is also able to cross the placenta and cause damage to baby tissues. There have been birth defects reported as a result of formaldehyde accumulation during pregnancy.

Research clearly highlights the toxic effects of formaldehyde for our overall health and not just one system like reproductive health. This compound is one of the most dangerous toxins you will find in your food carrying potential genotoxic risks. Formaldehyde may therefore also have toxic effects on our reproductive health and development.

Summary

Formaldehyde is produced from high temperature oxidative reactions with polyunsaturated fatty acids. Through the fat frying or cooking process, particularly processed foods, you can generate large concentrations of formaldehyde. Processed snacks such as potato chips or crisps are classic examples of these.

Highly reactive compounds like formaldehyde cause a threat to the oxidative balance of body tissues. While we have antioxidants to help with intercepting these, highly reactive food toxins like formaldehyde can cause harm to our health.

Because of its high reactivity, formaldehyde is a cause of cancer. Studies have identified formaldehyde as a cause of various cancers. It can react directly with DNA and proteins. Formaldehyde can induce large amounts of oxidative stress within the body. This can aggravate blood vessels, lymph tissue and contribute to inflammatory diseases. There is a lot of evidence that shows formaldehyde is a neurotoxic compound because of this and can induce reproductive tissue damage.

Formaldehyde is very toxic, with research showing that the worst health consequences may include radical damage to key body organs and increased risk of cancer.

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