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Processed Cheese Phosphates Why is Scheibletten cheese so damaging to health?
A toast Hawaii or cheeseburger without the classic Scheiblettenkäse is hard to imagine for many. It would be healthier if, for example, Thin slices of Gouda or Edam would be used. Because the processed cheese slices contain artificially added phosphates, which can damage the health in larger quantities. Accordingly, fans of Scheibletten should not eat too much of it, but instead prefer to resort to alternatives more often.
Sliced cheese for baked dishes
Many people love it when dishes are baked with a good deal of cheese. Over casseroles or home-baked pizza is usually grated cheese such. Gouda or mozzarella sprinkled. Other "classics" such as the toast Hawaii or cheeseburger, however, are often topped with Scheiblettenkäse.
Scheiblettenkäse and fast food contain plenty of artificially added phosphates - and should therefore be consumed only occasionally. (Image: arska n / fotolia.com) But this is not completely harmless to health. As the NDR economic and consumer magazine "market" reported, the processed cheese in disc form contains artificial phosphates, which can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke or lead to osteoporosis in an emergency.
Excess phosphate is excreted
Cheese is in itself a very healthy food, because it is particularly rich in vitamin A and various B vitamins (especially vitamin B2 and B12), calcium and high-quality protein. Likewise cheese contains natural phosphates which are present in the human body e.g. play an important role in all growth and development processes, the production of the genetic material and the protein metabolism. Excess phosphate does not enter the blood but is excreted by the kidneys.
Artificial phosphates are popular in the food industry
However, the popular sliced cheese also contains artificial phosphates. These ensure that the cheese melts evenly - and does exactly what consumers want when they receive it, for example. use for burgers or baked toast. The artificial substances are not only found in processed cheese, but make it possible, for example. stable foam in the finished cappuccino, keep pudding powder free flowing and are added to meat and sausage products as a preservative.
The problem with this: The artificial phosphates are usually freely soluble and therefore remain almost completely in the blood. The more fast food and other processed ready-to-eat foods are eaten, the more "the body is flooded with phosphates," according to market magazine experts.
Risk of heart attack and stroke
People with kidney disease often can not excrete the phosphate through the urine, which can have many nasty consequences. According to the magazine, investigations have shown that phosphate changes the inner walls of vessels, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Also, the risk of osteoporosis is increased by too much phosphate in the body. Because the artificial substances dissolve calcium out of the bones and make them brittle. Furthermore, the report may accelerate the aging of the skin and muscles.
Large amounts of phosphate are also problematic for healthy people
However, too much phosphate in the blood not only hurts healthy people, but also presents a creeping risk for healthy people. If too much is ingested, the kidney gradually loses the ability to extract the surplus out of the blood filter. Thus, even a slightly elevated value would damage the blood vessels in the heart, the report continues.
"Experimentally, you could show that too much phosphate in the blood leads to muscle loss, on the other hand, but also to calcification of the vessels, the soft tissues or to a thickening of the heart wall and subsequent heart pumping failure," explains the internist and kidney expert Dr. med. Kai-Michael Hahn.
Cheeseburgers and ready meals rarely eat
Instead of preserved foods or ready meals, consumers should therefore get better fresh foods on the plate. For example, nuts and legumes are very good for supplying the body with natural phosphorus.
To check whether there are phosphates in food, just look at the label. For while they are permissible, they must be e.g. be declared as "melt salts". Other markings include the codes E338, E339, E340, E341, E1412, E1413 and E1414. How much phosphate was added to the respective products, however, can not be inferred from the information required by law. (No)