Are aluminum pressure cookers harmful to the body?

The pressure cooker is a must-have kitchen utensil for many families, and it has many benefits. Using a pressure cooker to stew meat and soup not only saves time but also does not require much effort. Especially in summer when the weather is hot and no one wants to cook, you can use a pressure cooker to make many delicious foods. Some families use aluminum pressure cookers, and many people don’t know whether aluminum pressure cookers are harmful to the human body?

The pressure cooker is an essential kitchen appliance in many families, but there have been rumors that it is one of the causes of Alzheimer's disease. For example, there is a saying that: pressure cookers contain aluminum, which enters the human body through cooking; if there is too much aluminum in the body, it will be difficult to excrete through the kidneys, causing poison to the brain and nerve cells, thereby causing Alzheimer's disease.

You may have heard the above statement. Is this true? Can I still use a pressure cooker without worry?

First of all, many pressure cookers are no longer made of aluminum.

I vaguely remember the first pressure cooker I used at home. That was a long time ago, so long ago that I was just taller than the stove in our house.

The pressure cookers at that time did not have a separate inner pot like they do now, but were heated directly. Moreover, pressure control mainly relies on the gravity valve. Whenever the food is almost cooked, high-pressure steam will come out, and even lift up the gravity valve. The gravity valve will jump continuously along with the screaming of gas rushing out, giving people a sense of horror, fearing that it will explode. Every time I cook with a pressure cooker, it is a test for my young mind.

In fact, many pressure cookers at that time were made of aluminum. However, that era is now a thing of the past, as this material has poor heat resistance and stability and has long been eliminated from the market. Just like the jumping of the pressure valve and the screaming of gas when the pressure cooker was heated in that era, it gave people a sense of insecurity, but now it is gone forever.

Nowadays, if you go to the supermarket and pick up any pressure cooker, most of them are made of stainless steel that does not contain aluminum. High-end ones even use titanium alloy and other materials, so you don’t have to worry about aluminum precipitation.

So, the times are constantly changing, and we may not always be able to dwell on those book Buddhas of the past. Even if we are spreading rumors, we must keep up with the times.

However, some friends may say that the pressure cooker in my home may be an aluminum pressure cooker bought a long time ago. Is there any problem with this?

There is no evidence that aluminum causes dementia

What people are most worried about is that aluminum can cause Alzheimer's disease.

Aluminum is a ubiquitous element on earth, but it is not an essential element for the human body.

Once aluminum enters the human body, it is not easily excreted. If things go on like this for a long time, it will accumulate in the human body, thus affecting the health of the bones and nervous system and causing certain chronic damage.

However, it is unfair to say that aluminum can cause Alzheimer's disease.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a risk assessment on aluminum in the diet in 2008 and stated that based on the existing evidence, aluminum intake from food is not considered to pose a risk of causing Alzheimer's disease.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) conducted two assessments in 2006 and 2011, both of which concluded that current research cannot conclude that aluminum can cause Alzheimer's disease.

In general, the current mainstream scientific opinion in the world is that there is not enough evidence to show that aluminum is the culprit for Alzheimer's disease.

Avoid excessive aluminum by doing these 4 things

Although there is no definitive evidence that aluminum can cause Alzheimer's disease, aluminum is not an essential element for the human body and it may still cause other damage to the body, so excessive intake should be avoided.

How can we avoid consuming too much aluminum? We should try to start from these four aspects:

1. Eat less foods high in aluminum

Fried dough sticks, fried cakes and other pasta: They may contain alum containing aluminum, and the aluminum content is relatively high, so try to eat less. You can grumble about soy milk and fried dough sticks, but don’t eat them like this every day.

Seafood such as jellyfish: The aluminum content is also high, so it is recommended to reduce the frequency of consumption; if you want to eat it, you must soak and wash it repeatedly.

Vermicelli, rice noodles, rice noodle skin, jelly, cold skin, etc.: These starchy foods often contain aluminum additives during the production process to make the taste more chewy, so try to eat less.

2. Pay attention to the ingredient list of packaged food

When you go to the supermarket to buy food, try to read the video labels as much as possible to see if the labels contain aluminum additives: if so, try to buy and eat less.

3. Guide children to eat less aluminum-containing foods

Surveys show that the main source of aluminum intake for Chinese residents is the use of aluminum-containing additives, that is, eating more aluminum-containing snacks, such as fried noodle products, batter for coating, breading, frying powder and other foods. Therefore, children may face a greater risk of excessive aluminum, and parents and teachers should be vigilant and provide reasonable guidance and set a good example.

4. Be careful with aluminum utensils

Avoid storing acidic foods: When using aluminum containers, avoid frequently storing tomatoes, vinegar, etc., which may cause aluminum to dissolve.

Avoid using steel wool to scrub, so as not to damage the protective oxide film on the surface and increase the precipitation of aluminum.

If used improperly, you will still ingest more aluminum. Think carefully, have I been using it wrongly for so many years?

How to reduce the risk of dementia?

Generally speaking, we can still use a pressure cooker when it is necessary.