Cinnamon products contaminated with lead appear on shelves

Spices evoke feelings. Comfort, cultural belonging, holidays. they can make us The house smells good and our food is delicious.. They can satisfy our cravings, expand our culinary horizons, and help us eat foods we might normally dislike. In spices health-promoting properties and, In medicine, it has been used to treat people since ancient times..

However, the spice has had a bad reputation lately.

In September 2024, Consumer Reports, a non-profit organization created to inform consumers about products sold in the United States, conducted a survey. 36 or more cinnamon powders product And one in three was found to contain more than 1 ppm of lead, enough to trigger a recall in New York. Guidance issued on heavy metals in spices.

issued by the Food and Drug Administration Three warnings throughout 2024Warns consumers about lead in certain brands of cinnamon products. These notices put consumers on alert and make people wonder if the spice products they are buying are safe or not.

A Consumer Reports survey of more than 36 ground cinnamon products found that one in three contained more than 1 ppm of lead.

as Environmental epidemiologist trained in nutritional sciencesI investigated the relationship between nutritional status, diet, and heavy metal exposure in children.

There are several things consumers should consider regarding lead and other heavy metals in cinnamon.

Why is lead found in cinnamon?

Most people are familiar with the two forms of cinnamon: sticks and the ground spice. Both come from the dried inner bark of the cinnamon tree, harvested after several years of cultivation. For the U.S. market, cinnamon Mainly imported from Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and China.

One way lead can accumulate in cinnamon tree bark is if the tree is grown in contaminated soil. Lead may be introduced into cinnamon products during processing processes such as grinding.

When preparing cinnamon powder, some producers may intentionally add lead compounds to improve the product’s weight or color, thereby increasing its selling price. This is called “food adulteration,” and products with known or suspected adulteration will be refused entry into the United States.

However, in the fall of 2023, approximately 600 cases in the United States, defined as blood lead levels greater than 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (mostly in children), were linked to the consumption of: Certain brands of cinnamon applesauce. The lead content in the cinnamon used to make this product ranges from 2,270 to 5,110 ppm, which indicates a food adulteration. The manufacturing plant is investigated by the FDA.

Looking more broadly, Spices purchased from supplier In the United States, lead content is lower than in products sold overseas.

There is some evidence. Cinnamon sticks have a low lead content. level than ground spices. Lead content in ground cinnamon sold in the U.S. and analyzed by Consumer Reports Range 0.02~3.52ppm. These levels were at least 1,500 times lower than adulterated cinnamon.

There are no federal guidelines for lead or other heavy metals in spices. proposed by New York State Guidelines more stringent than current level of 1 ppmThis allows the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to remove products from commerce if lead levels exceed 0.21 ppm.

What does it mean to say ‘the dose makes the poison’?

today FDA Guidelines for Daily Lead Intake from Diet overhead Limiting children’s lead intake to 2.2 micrograms per day. For women of childbearing age, this value is 8.8 micrograms.

The amount of lead we are exposed to through food depends on the level of lead in the food and how much of the food we eat. The higher the dose, the greater the potential harm. How often we eat food (meaning daily or occasionally) is also important.

For spices like cinnamon, the amount and frequency of consumption depends on cultural traditions and personal preferences. For many people, cinnamon is a seasonal spice. Others use it year-round in savory dishes or sauces.

Cinnamon is loved in baked goods. See the cinnamon roll recipe, which calls for 1.5 tablespoons (about 12 grams) of the spice. If your recipe calls for 12 rolls, each roll should contain about 1 gram of cinnamon. at Consumer Reports surveySome cinnamon products have been classified as “okay to use” or “best to use.”

The highest lead content in cinnamon products in the “safe to use” category was 0.87 ppm, and in the “best to use” category it was 0.15 ppm. A child would need to eat at least 2.5 “safe to use” cinnamon rolls to exceed the FDA guidelines, which limit lead intake from foods to 2.2 micrograms per day, assuming no other foods contain lead. To exceed this guideline with “best” cinnamon, a child would need to eat more than 15 rolls.

Can Cinnamon Contribute to Raising Blood Lead Levels?

Because of lead’s effects on early childhood development, lead exposure in children and pregnant women is of greatest concern. Lead is absorbed in the small intestine Dialing to Cellular receptor It evolved to transport iron and other metals.

The effect of contaminated spices on a person’s blood lead level depends on the amount of exposure and the proportion of lead that the intestines can absorb. For several spices, The percentage of usable lead was 49%.This means that about half of the ingested lead is absorbed.

Lead absorption is higher after fasting. 3 hours or moreand Skipping morning Children may have elevated blood lead levels.

People with nutritional deficiencies, such as iron deficiency, also tend to absorb more lead. have higher blood lead levels. This is because our bodies compensate for the deficiency by producing more receptors to capture iron from food. Lead enters the body utilizing additional receptors. Young children and pregnant women have good reason to be concerned about iron deficiency, as they are at higher risk of developing it. Be Vigilant About Lead in Food They consume.

Studies show that among children with lead poisoning in the United States, It was one of the spices several Causes of lead exposure. Studies to estimate blood lead levels in statistics model It is suggested that consuming more than 5 micrograms of lead from spices each day can significantly increase blood lead levels.

More research is needed to understand how lead in spices affects blood lead levels when consumed occasionally or seasonally or when contamination levels are low.

For people who have other sources of lead at home, work, or hobbies, additional lead from foods or spices may be more important. This is because it increases the cumulative dose from multiple sources of exposure.

How to Test for High Blood Lead Levels

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends: Children at risk for lead exposure have their blood tested for lead at ages 1 and 2.. Older children can also be tested. Finger prick screening is commonly performed in pediatrics, but if the screening test is high, results may need to be confirmed in venous blood.

Adults in the United States are not routinely tested for lead exposure, but couples planning to have children should consult with their health care provider.

Things to Consider When Using or Buying Cinnamon or Other Spices

If your product is located in FDA warningor Consumer Reports “Do not use”Delete the list.

Other questions to consider include:

• Does your family use spices often and in large quantities?

• Do any young children or pregnant women in your family consume spices?

• Do you typically consume spices in your breakfast foods or drinks?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, buy quality products from large, well-known and reputable sellers. If possible, try using cinnamon sticks.

And keep enjoying the spice!

Katarzyna Kordas is an associate professor of epidemiology and environmental health at the University at Buffalo. This article is republished from: conversation below Creative Commons License. read Original article.