December 23rd, 2019
Baby food remains contaminated! So says a new published report from the Healthy Babies Bright Futures Non profit group. They state: "The problem, uncovered nearly a decade ago, is far from solved. New tests of 168 baby foods commissioned by Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF) found toxic heavy metals in 95 percent of containers tested. One in four baby foods contained all four metals assessed by our testing lab-arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.
Even in the trace amounts found in food, these contaminants can alter the developing brain and erode a child's IQ. The impacts add up with each meal or snack a baby eats."
They noted that of the samples tested from around the country, 94% had lead and over 70% had cadmium and arsenic levels that are considered concerning by the FDA.
Why is this a big deal?
Heavy metals are toxic to many of our cells, especially the ones that rapidly grow and that are highly metabolic like neurons. Let us look at lead as an example. Lead can enter our bodies through drinking water, eating contaminated food, inhaling lead filled dust or other sources. Once in the body, it quickly diffuses across cell membranes in many tissues disrupting many normal cell surface enzymatic functions rendering the offended cell dysfunctional. Lead can also cause oxidation reactions that damage fats, proteins and cell signaling pathways. The end result is all negative. Acute lead poising will lead to brain and kidney damage whereas chronic low level lead toxicity will cause long term brain damage and cellular toxicity.
All of the heavy metals form what science calls reactive oxygen species, ROS, when they interact with oxygen in the cells. The high levels of ROS are universally cellularly toxic, especially to the power house mitochondria, when the levels rise above the human bodies clearing capacity. Rapidly growing babies are at the highest risk for these negative effects.
In the article, the authors lay out a to do list AND HAVE A TABLE OF CONTAMINATED FOODS, UGH. Read it.
From my perspective:
1) If our food companies will not keep our foods contaminant free, we should stop buying them. Make your own food from organic sources at home.
2) There is no amount of a heavy metal that is good for a baby.
3) Filter all drinking water with a good quality reverse osmosis filter or at least a good quality carbon type.
Happy holidays to all,
Dr. M
Healthy Babies Bright Futures Article
