Gluten-free "healthy" foods are filled with health-threatening toxins

Food/Diet

Express newspaper

13/05/2025 21:46

An urgent warning has emerged after a groundbreaking study found that many "healthy" gluten-free products are loaded with toxic heavy metals, including lead, which has been linked to autism, cancer and brain damage.

🔍 What was discovered?

Watchdog Consumer Reports analyzed 27 gluten-free products based on cassava — a root vegetable widely used in alternative diets. The results were shocking:

Two-thirds of the products contained more lead than the organization's permitted limit – up to 2% above the recommended safe level.

8 products had levels so high that their consumption should be completely avoided.

📉 The most dangerous products include:

Bob's Red Mill Cassava Flour – 2,343% above the recommended limit.

Whole Foods Sea Salt Cassava Tostones – 1,723% above the limit.

Other products with chips, flour, biscuits and cassava crisps.

🧠 What are consumers at risk of?

Lead:

It damages brain cells.

It increases the risk of speech, learning and autism disorders, especially in children.

It accumulates in the body over time, leading to heart problems, kidney problems, and cancer.

☠️ Other metals discovered:

Arsenic (half of the products): linked to brain damage and cancer.

Cadmium (in most cases): causes organ damage.

Mercury was not detected in any product.

📋 Why is this happening?

Cassava absorbs lead from the soil, especially in areas where the soil is polluted by industrial waste or sewage. Processing it into flour concentrates the toxins even more.

🚫 What are the recommended measures?

Avoid cashew flour products that have been blacklisted by Consumer Reports.

Check labels for warnings like “Proposition 65” indicating hazardous lead content.

Diversify carbohydrate sources in gluten-free diets – use safer alternatives like rice flour, gluten-free oats, quinoa or corn.

🔈 Experts warn:

"The negative effects of lead are cumulative. Although a single consumption does not cause immediate poisoning, continued consumption can have serious long-term consequences," said Dr. James Rogers of Consumer Reports. /Express newspaper/