Surgeon Reveals the Scary Reason Why You Shouldn't Have Aluminium Foils in the Kitchen

We love a warm sandwich wrapped in aluminium foil to take to the office for lunch. But Doctor Tarek Pacha, a Functional Urologist & Surgeon, who goes by @superherofoods on Instagram, says he would ban the use of aluminium foil from his kitchen due to its risky properties. The doctor mentioned four common household items that could potentially affect our health, particularly by leaching into our food items and messing with the body’s metabolism. Organ failure and chronic diseases are some of the health complications associated with the kitchen items. “I’m Dr. Pacha, a functional urologist and surgeon here to challenge the status quo,” he opens the detailed video, which has amassed 8.8 million views.

Ranking at the top of his list of four things he would ban, Dr. Pacha warned that aluminum foil is not fit to be baked or grilled with because high heat or acidic food helps the metal from the foil to leach into our foods. “High aluminum is also associated with kidney disease, neurotoxicity, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease,” explained the doctor. Additionally, aluminium interferes with calcium absorption, resulting in weak bones. However, the doctor did not leave his viewers hanging with just a warning. He offered an alternative to aluminium foil, recommending the use of stainless steel baking sheets. 

Other products the expert listed included scented garbage bags, seed oils, and Styrofoam utensils. The detailed warning caught the attention of many people who chimed in with their mixed reactions in the comments. “Sorry, but there is no strong evidence supporting the claim that seed oils increase inflammatory markers,” a person (@jhinkle29) wrote, refuting the claims.

While another (@carmel.darcy_) explained, “Aluminum foil has been around a very long time. It is only if it’s used frequently with acidic foods, ie, wrapped in foil after cooking, that there is any health concern. It’s also not proven to cause Alzheimer’s. By all means, use other ways to cook food or preserve it, but do not believe everything you hear.” “The Alzheimer's/aluminum thing was proven false recently,” challenged someone else (@keeper0fthekeys). "I won’t be eating again … well done," mused a fellow viewer (@patrick_is_not_saint). 

Dr. Pacha accurately pointed out the risks associated with aluminium foil, however, humans can adapt to aluminium exposure to an extent. According to Healthline, the day-to-day exposure to the metal ingested through food and cooking is safe because a normal person can usually efficiently excrete small amounts of aluminium from the body. However, Alzheimer’s is highly linked to aluminium as a potential factor in the development of the neurological disease. High levels of the metal have been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. 

Reports state that it is impossible to completely remove aluminium from our diets because the metal is naturally found in products like baked goods, cereals, some vegetables and tea leaves, per PubMed. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have confirmed that levels below 2 mg per 2.2 pounds of body weight per week are unlikely to cause health problems. To avoid aluminium ingestion, it is recommended to cook food at lower temperatures and use less foil for cooking. Non-aluminium utensils and refraining from packing acidic food in aluminium can also help reduce the exposure. 

You can follow @mysuperfoods on Instagram for more health tips.