The HEALTH | NOVEMBER, 2019
22
NUTRITION
aspartame
– Killing with
sweetness
The fast growth of fast food restaurants is leading to the deterioration of health for younger generations.
The chemical
warfare inside us
Discussing the eff ects of fast food consumption in modern society
F
AST food restaurants – the effi cient
food establishment that has taken
the world by storm.
In the age where everyone is in
a rush, the concept has become a
staple for working class parents and
young adults. However, what are the conse-
quences of fast food consumption on a daily
basis? Does it aff ect children and adults the
same way?
“In the society that we are living in; every-
one is talking about deadlines, and everyone
is always in a rush. Th erefore, they’re just
grabbing whatever they can without think-
ing about the consequences,” says Dr nora
Ashikin Mokhtar, the founder and chairman
of Primanora Medical Centre.
“It’s sad to say because fast food is gener-
ally cheaper and easily available compared to
healthier alternatives. However, excitotoxins
are commonly found in fast and processed
foods.”
Excitotoxins are food additives, the
most common ones being Monosodium
glutamate (MSg) and aspartame. Th e addi-
tives are used to enhance the fl avour of food
and stimulate your appetite thus making you
eat more.
“Excitotoxins have no nutritional
benefi ts whatsoever. We do need glutamate
for our body but in very small amounts.
Excess consumption will cause your brain
to be over-excited – to a certain point, the
excitement will kill the brain cells,” she
claims.
MSG – Hiding in plain view
According to Dr nora, with the awareness
to the dangers of MSg, manufacturers have
begun to disguise the MSg ingredients under
a diff erent alias.
“You can get additives in various form
Dr Nora feels that
there should be a
tighter regulations
towards the usage of
MSG and aspartame in
food products.
without realising it. If they include pure
MSg then the ingredient will be labelled as
MSg – where it’s 99 per cent MSg.
“ But anything below that will be identi-
fi ed with a diff erent name. For example,
hydrolysed protein, yeast extract, chicken
or beef fl avouring and other names are used
to trick the consumers,” she explains.
Th is is how manufacturers hide the MSg
content in food, according to her.
“If you don’t look up the ingredient you’re
consuming then you’re being tricked into
consuming MSg. It accumulates over time
and will aff ect you in the long run. While
some people have immediate reaction to
MSg, some will accumulate the MSg count
in their body which will cause damage as the
body grows older and weaker.”
Moreover, there are clinical studies to
prove that MSg can damage the eyes, brain,
nerves and various diseases that can have
long term neurological implications such as
Parkinson, Alzheimer’s and many more. Th e
appetite stimulation can also lead to obe-
sity, high blood pressure and other chronic
diseases.
Changing to a healthier habit
“It seems like people are always looking for
the easier step to alleviate their busy sched-
ule – but fast food is not the answer. While
taking supplement can do wonders to the
ASPARTAME is the artificial
sweetener that is being used
widely in the market.
It is 200 times sweeter than
regular sugar, thus a very small
amount is required in production.
The substitute sugar can be
found in carbonated drinks,
candies and other manufactured
sweets. It is one the main staple
of fast food menus.
“Sugar is inherently bad as
it causes addiction, especially
among children. In addition, if
you have some sort of a genetic
disability to digest certain types
of sugar, aspartame can cause
death. For pregnant women,
aspartame can lead to birth
defect and mental retardation
of the new born,” says Dr Nora
Ashikin Mokhtar of Primanora
Medical Centre.
Eff ects on children
Not surprisingly, excitotoxins
affect adults and children
differently. The consumption
of fast food can damage the
young brain more than it does
to adults. Compared to the
adult brain, a child’s brain is still
developing.
Excitotoxins affect a growing
brain more than the fully
developed ones by hindering the
brain’s ability to grow and expand
naturally.
“A child’s brain is four times
more sensitive than an adult’s
brain so it is more susceptible
to damage. Therefore, fast food
can leave severe implication
to a child’s brain development
which leads to study diffi culties,
focus ability, to a certain point,
an epileptic seizures, and
behavioural problems,” she
explains.
Also, according to her, it can
affect children in the womb. MSG
can actually cross the placenta
barrier. This is why birth defect
has increased in the last few
decades. — The Health
human body, a balanced diet and exercise has
never failed anyone before. Compromising
on a healthy meal should not be the answer.
It will only aff ect your body in the long run,”
Dr nora says with a warm smile. — The
Health