By Dr. Mercola
If you live in the U.S. and drink Mountain Dew and some other citrus-flavored sodas, then you are also getting a dose of a synthetic chemical called brominated vegetable oil (BVO).
BVO was first patented by chemical companies as a flame retardant.
The chemical is banned in food throughout Europe and Japan.
But BVO has been added to about 10 percent of sodas in North America for decades, even though it has resulted in soda-drinkers needing medical attention for skin lesions, memory loss and nerve disorders -- all symptoms of overexposure to bromine.
Studies suggest that BVO can build up in human tissues, and animal studies have found it causes reproductive and behavioral problems in large doses. >
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DID YOU KNOW… that citrus-flavored soda may contain brominated vegetable oil (BVO)? A synthetic chemical first patented as a flame retardant, BVO is now found in 10 percent of soda in the US. Overexposure to bromine from BVO may lead to severe side effects like memory loss, skin lesions, and nerve disorders.
ReplyDeleteDr. Joseph Mercola
Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) is vegetable oil, derived from corn or soy, bonded with the element bromine.
ReplyDeleteIt's added as an emulsifier, to prevent the flavoring from separating and floating to the surface.
Bromines are common endocrine disruptors, and are part of the halide family, a group of elements that includes fluorine, chlorine and iodine.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes it so dangerous is that it competes for the same receptors that are used to capture iodine.
If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will not hold on to the iodine that it needs. And iodine affects every tissue in your body, not just your thyroid.
... when you ingest or absorb bromine, it displaces iodine.
ReplyDeleteThe resulting iodine deficiency can in turn lead to an increased risk for cancer of the breast, thyroid gland, ovary and prostate
One 1983 animal study also found that rats receiving one percent BVO in their feed suffered impaired fertility, and at two percent, they became completely infertile.
ReplyDeleteBromine is known to act as a central nervous system depressant, and can trigger a number of psychological symptoms such as acute paranoia and other psychotic symptoms.
ReplyDeleteIodine is crucial for proper thyroid function. Without iodine, your thyroid gland would be completely unable to produce thyroid hormone.
ReplyDelete