27  Apr 2011

Brominated Vegetable Oil – No WIN-WIN situation here!

Posted by Olivia Brooks

The study of men, women and their behavior and why they behave the way they do has interested me. Take the most recent example of Charlie Sheen and his goddesses which poses an interesting love-triangle.

Perhaps, a WIN-WIN situation for everyone involved unlike most situations in which these love triangles pan out at times

And ever since their interview where they clearly said that they were a happy family, one wonders which of the two women are in charge of the kitchen, if at all! Or do they just stick to the proverbial burger, fries and diet coke yeah right, diet coke.

Speaking of the delightful beverage that most people use to wash down their burger and fries, controversies have germinated, thanks to that phrase brominated vegetable oil that has been in the news for a while now.

Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)

So whats the deal with Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)?

Its actually a vegetable oil that uses the compound bromine that serves as an emulsifier and stabilizer so that the flavors in citrus-flavored drinks dont separate out into layers. By matching the density of oil with the density of water in the drink (by using bromine), this will ensure that the drink will have an unified appearance and the brominated vegetable oil blends with the water in the drink.

If that was tough to understand, the bottom line is that bromine plays the part of bringing the water and vegetable oil portions of the drink to stick together.

And experts are suggesting that the consumption of these flavored drinks (God, theyre everywhere!) leads to bromism, and several cases have been documented, one of which can be read at this link.

However, your next question might be: Which products contain brominated vegetable oil?

Products that contain Brominated Vegetable Oil

Here is a list of products that contain Brominated Vegetable Oil whether they are used for consumption or not:

1) Non-alcoholic citrus-flavored sodas such as Gatorade, Powerade, Fresca, Fanta, Mountain Dew and you name it!

2) Light-sensitive photographic printing paper

3) As an additive for gasoline

4) Agricultural fumigants

5) Sedatives (until 1978)

The Ban on Brominated Vegetable Oil Cola Drinks

What has been gathered is in the excess consumption (and we dont how many is considered to be in excess!) of these cola drinks,a condition known as bromism in which the amount of bromine increases and stays in our body.

Due to the bromine that remains in our body, there is a relative iodine deficiency and this leads to the condition otherwise known as Brominated Thyroid.

Several health disorders are linked to this consumption, and some of them are organ system damage, growth defects, birth defects, memory loss, cancer, heart and kidney disease as well as other temporary conditions such as fatigue, simple headaches and weight gain.

While almost 100 countries have banned type of ingredient to be used in cola drinks, the Food and Drug Administration in the United States allows it to be used as an interim additive only if as a finished product, these drinks only contain 15 parts per million of BVO.

And while is seems to be a temporary solution for, the FDA wait on toxicology reports that will finally decide whether or not this substance has to be banned for good.

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