Is It Harmful To Heat Food In The Microwave: Scientific Facts And Myths

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Microwaving food is harmful: truth or myth

When going to buy a microwave oven, people are interested not only in the characteristics of the product, but also in the opinion of the people about the future acquisition. Since the advent of microwave (microwave) ovens, there have been many rumors about potential harm to humanity. Is there scientific evidence of the negative effect of food heated in the microwave on the well-being of people, let's try to find out.

Common myths about the dangers of microwave food

For people who are not very knowledgeable in physics, microwaves seem dangerous, but they cannot be explained logically. Hence the spread of myths that amaze scientists:

1. Myth number 1 - microwave radiation (microwave) is dangerous to humans. True:

   we are surrounded by waves of different frequencies - wi-fi, cell towers and so on. There is currently no scientific explanation for the harm of this radiation. The difference between the microwave and them is only in greater activity, but the waves do not go outside the furnace due to the insulating properties of the body. Microwaves do not have the ability to accumulate in objects; they arise and fade when the button of a household appliance is pressed

2. Myth # 2 - microwaves affect the human body like radiation. True:

   radiation is ionizing radiation, and microwave is non-ionizing. Microwaves cannot cause cell destruction and gene mutation, unlike radioactive radiation

3. Myth number 3 - the structure of food changes under the influence of microwaves and the food becomes carcinogenic. True:

   decay at the molecular level from microwave radiation is impossible. Food cooked or heated over an open fire with oil is more likely to become carcinogenic

4. Myth number 4 - microwaves "kill" food, depriving it of vitamins, so it is better to eat raw foods. True:

   from the point of view of biologists, most products are inanimate even before heat treatment. Microwave treatment does not negatively affect the quality of food. Conversely, rapid heating with microwaves is better at killing bacteria like E.coli. Scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) believe that microwave ovens retain more nutrients or facilitate their absorption

The main part of a microwave oven is a magnetron, which converts electricity into microwaves.

Scientific research of microwave radiation

In the late 80s of the last century, Swiss scientists studied the effect of microwave radiation on people. Due to a lack of funds, only one person became a participant in the experiment. Subject alternated between regular meals and microwaved meals every other day. Every day they took blood from him for analysis and found out that the structure of the blood began to change. Based on this, the Swiss concluded that microwave radiation is harmful. According to scientists, food from a microwave oven provokes cancer.

The quality of food can depend on the dishes in which it is heated - plastic gives off toxic substances, and ceramics and glass are safe

The World Health Organization (WHO) considered the experiment unsubstantiated, as its purity raised doubts. The organization's speakers continue to insist on the safety of microwave food for human health.

In 1992, several American scientists independently obtained evidence of the negative effects of microwaves through food. According to their research, a small part of microwaves is stored in food and there is a risk of exposure to the body from the inside. However, experts from the Russian test center TEST-BET recently refuted this theory.

Microwaved food is cooked or heated without the addition of oil, and gastroenterologists consider this to be safe.

It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of whether food from the microwave is harmful. Scientists agree on only one thing - microwave ovens should be used infrequently and according to instructions.

My grandmother was against modern devices, considering them harmful. Instead of arguing with my beloved granny, I tried not to use the microwave in her presence.

Video: how microwaves work and are they harmful to people

Physical laws and WHO are on the side of microwaves, so using devices from time to time is not dangerous. Until the harm of microwave radiation is proven, how to treat food heated in a microwave oven is a personal decision of everyone.