FACTS4U


11 Everyday Items That Could Actually End Up Killing You

by BOGGURU


You must have seen some warning signs on some everyday items. We often see such warnings like Caution, Danger, but tend to ignore them. It is all because honestly, we don't give a damn. However, we're living in a time where it's important to get serious about such warnings. Studies and research undertaken by some renowned professionals have shown that some of our everyday items which we use daily, contain some lethal toxins and chemicals. Sad but, unfortunately, true.

Take a look at some everyday items that could be killing you.




1. Microwave popcorn


Our favorite time-pass snack is packed in bags which are lined with PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). This chemical is also found in Teflon. Studies have shown that this chemical can be linked with infertility in women and exposure significantly increases the risk of kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas and testicular cancers.

2. Artificial sweeteners


Nowadays, many of us have started opting for artificial sweeteners in our diet. However, many studies have shown that a number of users of this product actually end up gaining weight. When a breakdown of certain chemicals takes place, a deadly toxin called DKP is produced, which is known to cause brain tumours. A report by National Cancer Institute, USA, states that the use of this product may be hazardous to your health. In fact, the product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.

3. Alcohol


An occasional consumption of alcoholic drinks is fine. But always getting bhand is never advisable as experts working with the World Health Organization Research on cancer found evidence that alcohol is the main cause of mouth, oesophagus (food pipe), liver, colon, rectum, and female breast cancers. A friendly reminder - studies show that every year, alcohol causes 4% of cancers in the UK, which is around 12,800 cases.

4. Processed meats


What with restaurants these days serving fried mice and brains, processed meat can never be an everyday option. In fact, some studies have shown that people who regularly ate processed meats increased their chance of early death by as much as 43%. The American Institute of Cancer Research published article stating that eating even small amounts of cold cuts or other processed meats on a regular basis increases the risk of colorectal cancer.

5. Potato chips


This one's quite a no-brainer. Potato chips, much to everyone's dismay, are the perfect recipe for causing cancer. These chips include high trans fats with sodium, both of which spell disaster for the body. But all's not lost. Dr. Andrew Weil, a renowned M.D and best-selling author on holistic health, says, "If you're following a healthy diet, there's not much reason to worry about the Acrylamide (which causes cancer) in an occasional indulgence in French fries, cookies and the other foods mentioned by the FDA. If you eat those foods regularly, you should be more concerned about all the unhealthy oxidized polyunsaturated fat and refined starch in them, which are likely greater threats to health than the amounts of Acrylamide they may contain.

6. Hydrogenated oils

This basic cooking ingredient is actually deodorised and colored. Plus, excessive Omega-3 fatty acids can cause health issues. David Lawrence Dewey, a journalist, raised the warning flag to consumers of hydrogenated oils in 1996. He said that hydrogenated oils lead to a myriad of health problems including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, autism, food allergies and autoimmune diseases.

7. Red meat


Red meat is heavy for the body to digest. Sadly, an everyday diet rich in red meat makes one susceptible to increased risk of cancer. In fact, a study released by the British Medical Journal showed that younger women who ate red meat had a slightly increased risk for developing breast cancer. The study involved close to 90,000 women followed for 20 years, meaning that, from a statistical perspective, it was respectable.

8. Toothpaste


We have been using this for a very long time to protect our teeth. But studies done by Hemad Yasaei, professor at Brunel University, London, have concluded that chemicals like BPA (used in plastics) or Triclosan, used in toothpastes, are known to have other ill-effects including cancer.Shocking but true!

9. Plastic food container


We rely on plastic food containers almost on a daily basis. But as reported by Professor Hemad Yasaei, additives added in plastic, PVC and polycarbonate products like plastic food containers belong to the category of chemicals having the potential to cause cancer.

10. Carpets


Something most of us have in our homes. But carpets have now become the hallmark of cancer as the stain repellent present in them includes cancer cells that have ability to multiply indefinitely, resist aging, creating disturbance in metabolism and developing genetic mutations, as reported by Brunel University, London.

11. Liquid handwash


It's time to switch back to soaps as Biocides, a chemical used in making handwash, is carcinogenic in nature.