Too much aluminum in kids' diets, says report
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E-mail Xinhua, September 29, 2012
More than 40 percent of Chinese children between the ages of four and six are exposed to excess aluminum from food additives, new research has indicated.
About 43 percent of this age group eat 1.6 times the maximum daily amount of aluminum suggested by the World Health Organization, according to a survey by the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment.
Children absorb the hazardous substance mainly by eating puffed-grain foods, according to the study.
Exposure to high levels of aluminum can result in respiratory and neurological problems.
Overall, 32.5 percent of Chinese people have too much aluminum in their diets, according to the study published in Ministry of Health newspaper Health News.
The survey also showed people living in northern China consume 4.6 times the amount of aluminum taken in by people in the south, due to the former's dietary preference for flour products.
Northern Chinese, who tend to eat noodles as a main dish for most meals, have an average aluminum intake of 5.1mg per 1kg of body weight, 2.6 times the recommended amount.
Foods such as steamed bread, fried dough sticks and noodles are major sources of aluminum, Chen Junshi, a senior expert at the center, said.
Additives containing aluminum are allowed in food processing, but producers tend to use more than required to boost taste, Chen said.
Health authorities are considering stricter regulations on the use of 13 kinds of food additives containing aluminum, he added.
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