Should aluminum be used in cooking?

Read on to know about the health hazards of using aluminum foil in cooking.

Aluminum foil is quite commonly used to assist in the cooking process and to cover or store food products. There has been a prolonged debate regarding the safety issues of using aluminum foil, where the opinion is largely divided.

This paper-thin sheet of aluminum metal has many uses in various other industries apart from being part of our kitchen. In most households, it is used to store food products, scrub pots and pans, cover baking equipment or tray, and to cover meats to prevent loss of moisture from it.

Aluminum is, in fact, one of the most abundantly found metal on earth as it is found in minute amounts in air, soil, water, most of the foods, and even certain medicines. While, some amount of aluminum, if ingested, is deemed safe but consuming too much aluminum may possess health risks.

Some studies report a significant increase in aluminum content of foods if aluminum foil is used in cooking. Here are the potential health risks associated with consuming too much aluminum.

Dietary aluminum possesses a potential risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease, which is a neurological condition and is associated with the loss of brain cells.

In some studies, dietary aluminum is also associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, further studies need to be done to confirm this correlation.

Even though only a small amount of consumed aluminum is absorbed by our body and the healthy population can efficiently excrete this absorbed aluminum content, it is still considered wise to consume only a limited quantity of aluminum. So, one should eat and use aluminum foil cautiously to stay healthy!