Yucatan Scientific Research Center (CICY) researchers say dietary habits and daily activities in which people interact with aluminum have placed the local population on a state of alert , since the excess of this substance in the human body is related to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. .
The general director of the General Unit of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the CICY, Teresa Hernández Sotomayor, indicated that the maximum daily consumption of aluminum in the human body should not exceed 50 milligrams.
Interviewed regarding the 13th Keele Meeting on Aluminium which will be held from March 23rd to 27th at a hotel near the archaeological site of Uxmal, the specialist said that Aluminum is present in a wide array of products such as shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, sausages, dairy, bread, antacid medications and vaccines.
Director of the General Unit of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the CICY, Teresa Hernández Sotomayor. (Photo: Óscar Chan/SIPSE)
“For example, a slice of pizza concentrates 2 to 10 milligrams of aluminum, but if you add other supplements such as pepperoni and mushrooms, that figure can double up to five times”, the specialist said.
“The problem is that aluminum is also in the subsoil, the advantage in Yucatan is that the terrain has a basic subsoil and although there is much aluminum remains in the earth’s layer, it is not absorbed by the plants,” he explained.
She highlighted that the CICY is currently carrying out two important projects on the effects of aluminum on the growth of coffee and habanero pepper, and that the research center has been studying the effects of this element on plants for more than 20 years.
Hernandez Sotomayor said that in the area of recycling, as in the case of bottles of soft drinks, cans and other products, consumers should consider their use to avoid further damage to the environment.
“The daily intake of aluminum from a normal human being is around 50 milligrams, we eliminate almost 99 percent, but that 1% remaining (could be more, depending on eating habits), can reach the brain and it is associated with some diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, ” she added.
She said that as Yucatan is one of the states with the highest consumption of soft drinks, sugar and fast food, those habits should be avoided or changed for healthier natural beverages and food.
Sotomayor recommends consumers always to read the labels of everything they consume in order to acquire products with the minimum of aluminum, or none at all.
The Yucatan Times
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