These days it is hard to find a product in the market untouched by adulteration. From milk, oil and spices to fruit, vegetables and meat, chemical or artificial substances are being mixed into everything in one way or another.
Eating such food once may not cause any immediate problem, but over the long term adulterated food creates a silent disaster inside the body.
1. Liver and kidneys
The liver and kidneys suffer most from eating adulterated food over a long period. Chemicals in food such as formalin, calcium carbide, lead, dyes or melamine enter the body and mix with the blood. These toxic substances increase poisoning of the liver and disrupt its normal work. Gradually, serious diseases such as liver cirrhosis, hepatitis or kidney failure appear.
2. Risk of cancer
These adulterants greatly increase the risk of cancer. In particular, formalin, or heavy metals called nickel and chromium in artificial colours, build up in the body over a long time and damage cells' DNA, which can lead to cancer.
3. Kidney stones in children
Adulterated food has an even more severe effect on children. Milk containing melamine or sweets with artificial colours can cause kidney stones in children, stunt their growth and hinder their mental development.
4. Hormonal imbalance
Adults may develop hormonal imbalances, digestive problems and even reduced fertility. If pregnant women regularly eat adulterated food, the risk of birth defects in newborns also rises.
Public health experts say that small daily doses of poison build up inside the body over time and turn into chronic disease. So it is essential to be careful when buying food and to avoid it if a chemical smell or a change in colour is noticed.
On Healthy Food Day today (5 November), think afresh about your own and your family's eating habits and how to live a little more healthily even in this age of adulteration. Give priority to clean water, home-cooked food and seasonal fruit and vegetables.
The article cites the Institute of Public Health, the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority and the World Health Organization as its sources.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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