Aluminum, a hazard in Chinese food additives

MORE than 30 percent of Chinese people absorb excessive amounts of aluminum from food additives with nearly half in wheat flour, a research paper showed.

People in north China, where wheat is the staple food, have four times more of the harmful metal in their body than those living in the south. Puffed-grain products are the main source of excessive aluminum in children aged 7 to 14.

Children aged 4 to 6 are the most vulnerable. They absorb 2.6 times the daily amount of aluminum allowed by the World Health Organization.

About 44 percent of the aluminum comes from flour, followed by steamed bread (24%) and fried dough sticks (10%), the research found.

Scientists said aluminum is not among the 16 minerals needed by the human body. Excessive ingestion of the metal can damage human nerves and affect bone growth.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/ms6doqh