Too much aluminum in infant formula! This is the conclusion of the survey of 60 million consumers according to which more than half of children’s milk contains this neurotoxic metal.
Is milk for toddlers safe? To this question, the National Institute of Consumption (INC) provides some answers on Wednesday. In its latest issue, the magazine 60 millions de consommateurs publishes the results of a survey carried out in the shelves of French supermarkets on 38 powdered infant milks (1st and 2nd age) and 9 liquid growth milks from major brands and brands of distributors. And the data reported by investigators is not completely reassuring for parents.
No study proves the unconcern of aluminuim
Indeed, according to these results, more than half of the first age milks in the trial, intended to cover all the nutritional needs of the child up to six months, contain aluminum. This up to 30% of the acceptable limit value for adults. Value which is also the same for children!
These results are not better for 2nd age milks which arrive with the start of a diversified diet in children: two out of three samples also contain aluminuim. Faced with these results, 60 million consumers insist that for the moment there is no study “proving the harmlessness of aluminum in young children. “
Regarding the origin of this contamination, it comes from the storage conditions and packaging, mainly made from aluminum.
A “potentially” neurotoxic metal
And as the French Environment Health Association (1) regularly reminds us, the health risks of exposure to aluminum by ingestion are “numerous”. This metal is in fact recognized as “potentially” neurotoxic. It inhibits more than 200 biological functions and causes many undesirable effects for plants, animals and also humans. More specifically, absorption for a long time can lead to serious bone or neurological problems, such as dementia, memory loss (Alzheimer’s disease), listlessness or tremors.
For these reasons, 60 Million consumers demand that, for children, “be defined a regulatory limit more stringent than that applicable to the whole population (…). Otherwise, it would at least be necessary that the mention of the contents be made compulsory, in order to allow parents to choose, ”argues the INC. In its investigation, the latter also warns about the lack of transparency of the labels stuck on infant formula.
A good point for growth milks
However, 60 million consumers also award good points. This time they come back to growth milks, intended for children from 1 to 3 years old: none of the products tested is contaminated.
This result is all the more reassuring given that many food experts consider them “essential” to prevent insufficient intakes, especially in iron.
This point of view is however not shared by the European Food Agency (EFSA) which estimates in October 2013 that “the use of growth milk does not provide added value compared to a balanced diet responding the nutritional needs of young children in the European Union. “
(1) The Association Santé Environnement France now brings together nearly 2,500 doctors in France. She works on all subjects related to health and the environment: air quality, electromagnetic waves, biodiversity, food, etc.
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