This is why experts advise unplugging the microwave when you are not using it
If you’ve ever decided to move and had to furnish your home from scratch, you’ve probably made a list of essential items to start living in your new home. And we’re sure one of the most common appliances in any kitchen won’t be missing from that list: the microwave. For decades, we’ve been hearing hoaxes or myths that its radiation can cause cancer, but now a health expert is telling us the real reasons not to use it.
As long as I can remember, I’ve been using the microwave when I want a cup of hot milk, melt cheese on a sandwich, heat up a cold dish or defrost some chicken strips, just like most people do. It’s true that there are many alternatives to heating and defrosting food, such as convection ovens, air fryers or other innovative products, but really, who can imagine life without a microwave?
First of all, it should be clear that microwaves do not pose any risk to our health, as various studies have proven that there is no relationship between the use of our usual devices and cancer. Despite knowing that the radiation it uses is not ionizing and therefore does not cause harm, there are still certain doubts about the effects it can have on our health, which is why an expert spoke on the subject.
According to French surgeon Henri Joyeux, oncologist and nutritionist, microwaves should be used in moderation for a very simple reason: the structural modification that amino acids undergo when heated, which can lead to potentially toxic compounds and have harmful effects on the liver and kidneys. Microorganisms present in frozen foods are not eliminated when they are microwaved, as they are heated but not cooked, which can lead to some bacteria remaining inside.
How can we avoid this? The right choice of products we buy in the supermarket, because if the food is not of the right quality at the bacteriological level, germs can develop when heated in this device. In any case, the World Health Organization insists that there is no great risk in using a microwave, but it must be used correctly and disconnected from the electricity so as not to increase household energy consumption.