Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) has been an important component in soft drinks in several industries since long. Many instances have occurred that speak against the use of this product. This story shares some insights.
What is brominated vegetable oil exactly? It is an ordinary vegetable oil, just like the olive oil. However, this oil is composed of the atoms of bromine, which make its molecules attain the density of sugar water in soft drinks.
Have you ever wondered about the cloudy solution which you get to see in any citrus-flavored soft drinks? The credit goes to this vegetable oil which is used as an emulsifier in such drinks. Without this, the citrus and oil-based flavorings will separate into a floating layer of oil.
So, in order to help the fat-soluble flavor to stay suspended, this oil is put to use.
Potential Side Effects
As we know, the element bromine is a halogen and thus, it is known to displace iodine. So, consuming products which have this vegetable oil as one of its ingredients, may hamper the function and health of the thyroid glands.
It may also cause the development of depression, memory disorders, mental disorder symptoms such as hallucinations, seizures, tremors, confusion, slurred speech, photophobia, fatigue, and lethargy. The list of the side effects do not limit here.
Many cases of BVO side effects have been diagnosed by doctors which showed that people consuming BVO-based drinks exhibited symptoms of loss of muscle coordination, headache, elevated serum chloride, abnormal tendency of being violent and acutely irritable, psychosis, cerebral atrophy, ataxia, loss of peripheral vision, stupor, and tendon reflex changes.
Furthermore, when this oil was tested upon animals, results were not quite pleasing to the ears. Heart and kidney damage, increased deposition of fat in these organs, damage to the testicular and inferior quality of growth, were obtained as the results.
More Side Effects
With time, the BVO gets stored in the fat cells of the body. As its consumption keeps on increasing, it keeps on accumulating and eventually manifests its overload by producing a lot of side effects, such as the ones mentioned above.
Furthermore, this oil can also cause increased anxiety, anorexia nervosa, coma, constricted pupils, blueness of the skin, malfunction in the heartbeat, slow pulse, respiratory difficulties, drooling, abnormal perspiration and tearing.
What you have been drinking all these years, supposing to be a pleasurable drink, has been loading your body with toxic chemicals and nothing else. Some people may even be aware about these side effects discussed here, but give a thought about small kids who have been, and are still causing damage to their body at such a tender age.
To conclude, it is not always about the taste of an eatable, but it is more about what good it does to our body. A cola containing BVO may definitely taste better than a plain fruit juice. However, if you mull on the effects of both the drinks, it may help you choose what's best for your health, and that of your family.
So, why not go for pure orange flavored juice, rather than shelling out money on a good-for-nothing orange flavored soft drinks containing the brominated vegetable oil, and put your health in jeopardy?