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Warning Carcinogenic substances found in pregnancy and breastfeeding
The ZDF consumer magazine "WISO" has had various pregnancy and breastfeeding tested. In almost half of the products, carcinogenic substances could be detected. Recently, the magazine reported that organic herbal baby teas were burdened with so-called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs).
Carcinogenic substances detected in teas
Many pregnancy and breastfeeding teas are contaminated with carcinogenic pollutants. This is the result of a sample of the ZDF consumer magazine "WISO". According to a communication so-called Pyrrolizidinalkaloide (PA) could be detected in twelve of a total of 28 herbal teas. According to the Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR), this herbal toxin can damage the organism and cause liver tumors at long and high doses. "Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are undesirable because of their harmful potential in food and feed," writes the BfR.
In a test of the ZDF consumer magazine "WISO" carcinogenic substances were detected in several herbal teas for breastfeeding and pregnant women. (Image: ZoomTeam / fotolia.com) Herbal teas for pregnant and lactating women
The 28 tested herbal teas for pregnant women and nursing mothers came from the food trade, discounters, pharmacies and drugstores.
The detailed results presented "WISO" on Monday, 20 February 2017, 19:25, on ZDF.
According to the information, the "circumstance 1" of Vita Et Natura is by far the most heavily loaded with PA. The load of a cup thus even reaches the standard value of the BfR - which should not be exceeded in an adult in the long run.
If, as indicated on the packaging, five teaspoons are used to prepare a pot of tea, this will exceed the recommended guideline by a factor of five. Eleven other products are also burdened with PA. Ten out of twelve teas are organic products.
Different points of view
Pregnant and nursing mothers are at risk for health if they drink large quantities over a long period of time. In addition, the PA could be passed on via the tea but also to the fetus, or via the breast milk to the baby.
In a reply to "WISO", Vita Et Natura GmbH pointed out that there are currently very different views on the subject.
According to the company, there is an information letter from the German Tea Association entitled "Inappropriate product testing by the media - an increasing nuisance to the industry and a misleading of consumers".
Vita Et Natura now wants to seek advice: "If it should be true that your findings are detrimental to consumers, the current batch must be taken out of the market," the company says.
There are no legal limits
BfR had already determined high PA values in individual teas in the summer of 2013. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against the dangerous long-term effects of this substance for years, even at low doses, there are no legal limits.
The Pyrrolizidinalkaloide are not in the tea herbs themselves, but in plants such as the ragwort. This grows as a weed between the tea herbs. Therefore, it easily gets into the crop.
Just last week, WISO had reported finding PAs in five herbal teas for babies. By far the most heavily loaded was the tea from the pharmacy, the Sidroga infant and child tea. All five PA-containing teas were organic products. (Ad)