Are Microwaves Safe?

By Published August 19, 2021

Last updated for accuracy August 19, 2021

Are microwaves safe? There's quite a bit of research that might make you question their safety. Today, over 90% of households have microwave ovens.

Safely concerns focus on two areas:

Do microwaves affect the nutritional value of food?

Are microwaves causing harm to the body, both due to the EMF frequency emitted from them as well as potential chemical alterations to our food cooked in them?

It’s intriguing that nutritional deficiencies in developed countries coincide with the introduction of microwaves in every household. Could microwaves be affecting the delicate structure of phytonutrients and proteins in our food, contributing to nutrient deficiencies?

Some studies are pointing to this possibility, stating that the molecular friction created when food is heated in a microwave destroys the nutrient content. One study on vegetables (broccoli) heated in a microwave showed that 97% of the nutrient value was destroyed. Steamed broccoli only lost about 11%. Other important constituents of the plant were also lost with microwave heating--this is the medicine in the food! If this is the case, it’s compelling to consider the ramifications of this. Dead food lacking nutrients can’t help support immune function, fight free radicals and support one’s health.

A Japanese study found that only 6 minutes of microwave heating turned approximately 40 percent of the B12 found in milk dead and completely void of any nutritional value

In another study, sixty seconds of microwaving garlic removed it of its cancer-fighting ingredient, alliinase, rendering it dead food.

And breast milk? Don’t even think of microwaving it, as it kills all of the natural immune-supporting ingredients. A 1992 study even showed it promoted the growth of pathogenic bacteria while decreasing lysozyme and antibody activity. This made the news back then, however, many have forgotten.

The University of Minnesota, in fact, published this in 1989:

“Although microwaves heat food quickly, they are not recommended for heating a baby’s bottle. . .Heating the bottle in a microwave can cause slight changes in the milk. In infant formulas, there may be a loss of some vitamins. In expressed breast milk, some protective properties may be destroyed. Warming a bottle by holding it under tap water, or by setting it in a bowl of warm water, then testing it on your wrist before feeding may take a few minutes longer, but it is much safer.”

Published that same year in the Lancet, Dr Lita Lee of Hawaii provided greater scientific detail based on research:

“Microwaving baby formulas converted certain trans-amino acids into their synthetic cis-isomers. Synthetic isomers, whether cis-amino acids or trans-fatty acids, are not biologically active. Further, one of the amino acids, L-proline, was converted to its d-isomer, which is known to be neurotoxic (poisonous to the nervous system) and nephrotoxic (poisonous to the kidneys).”

Radiation from microwaves changes the polarity of the molecules, agitating them, which causes the heating. This also alters the area around the molecules, literally tearing surrounding molecules apart. It structurally changes them, and it’s pretty violent. In fact, nothing “living,” consisting of cells and molecules and of the living world can withstand such destruction, even at what is considered safe milliwatts. And what is affected the most? Water.

Microwaving works differently to heat food than conventional heating methods; the heat comes from within and moves outward. Conventional heating begins with heat outward, moving inward. This differentiation is extremely important when it comes to our health. An Australian study, in fact, showed that microwaves create an increase in "protein unfolding".

What do these changes to the structure of our food do exactly in terms of our health and wellness? Dr. Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of biochemistry and basic medical sciences at Washington State University, proposed some answers regarding the effects of EMFs on our bodies. He claims it impacts us deep down in to the cellular level--kind of the way microwaves heat food--from inward to outward. EMFs, he says, activate cellular channels called voltage-gated calcium channels, and he published his findings in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

Pall’s theory is backed by 123 studies. He describes a domino effect. VGCCs are stimulated by microwaves, causing the release of nitric oxide. This combines with superoxide to form peroxynitrate. The end result is the formation of hydroxyl free radicals, which are the worst of all free radicals, with the destructive power to annihilate the inner workings of cellular membranes, such as the mitochondria and nucleus, leading to DNA alterations. According to Pall, VGCCs are extremely sensitive to radiation--7 million times more so than charged particles inside and outside of cells, which means that the current safety standards are way off--- 7 million times the upper limit of what they should be.

What’s even scarier is uncovering where VGCCs are most dense: The brain, heart and nervous system. Coincidentally, we’ve seen an explosion in neurological diseases, heart disease, cancers, arrhythmias, digestive disorders, insomnia, mental health issues, infertility, Alzheimer’s disease and other ill effects escalating since this household item became popular in nearly every home. Could it be a contributing factor?

Microwaves have been used to weaken cell membranes in gene altering technology, so it’s not a stretch to question the safety of consuming foods that have been microwaved or the impact they may have on our cells. Microwaves literally break open cells and alter the electrical “life” of cells. How does all this affect us?

Hans Hertel led a Swiss study of volunteers who consumed dairy products and vegetables heated by microwave. His study showed that certain blood markers were influenced by microwaving. Good cholesterol, HDL, decreased and the ratio between good and bad cholesterol was altered. White blood cells were impacted, as well.

According to Hertel:

“Leukocytosis, which cannot be accounted for by normal daily deviations, is taken very seriously by hematologists. Leukocytes are often signs of pathogenic effects on the living system, such as poisoning and cell damage. The increase of leukocytes with the microwaved foods were more pronounced than with all the other variants. It appears that these marked increases were caused entirely by ingesting the microwaved substances. This process is based on physical principles and has already been confirmed in the literature. The apparent additional energy exhibited by the luminescent bacteria was merely an extra confirmation.”

These radiolytic compounds are not “human” or found in nature. What might they do to our bodies and future health and wellness? Even the FDA admits that long term studies on the impacts of microwaving foods are scarce. We really don’t have all the answers when it comes to our exposure to low levels of microwaves over a lifetime.

Russian research, which was compiled in the 1950’s, has been published by the Atlantis Raising Educational Center in Portland, Oregon, and showed many disturbing results in regards to the lack of safety of microwaving food. These included the formation of carcinogenic substances when meat, dairy and grains were microwaved. Carcinogenic free radicals were also created from vegetables and fruit thawed or heated in a microwave, particularly root vegetables. Of course, decreased nutritional value was also evidenced. Because of this research, Russia has set strict limits on microwatts exposure.

We are intricate, electrical beings, so it is not surprising that microwaves can impact our health. Any disruption in our natural electrical circuit can have consequences. In Robert O. Becher’s book, The Body Electric, he expands on Russian research and refers to microwave radiation as “Microwave Sickness.”

Becher describes it as follows:

“The first signs are low blood pressure and slow pulse. The later and most common manifestations are chronic excitation of the sympathetic nervous system and high blood pressure. This phase also often includes headache, dizziness, eye pain, sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety, stomach pain, nervous tension, inability to concentrate, hair loss, plus an increased incidence of appendicitis, cataracts, reproductive problems, and cancer. The chronic symptoms are eventually succeeded by a crisis of adrenal exhaustion and ischemic heart disease [the blockage of coronary arteries and heart attacks]."

This is a lot of food for thought! The key takeaway is to consider the possibilities. If there are doubts, why not just warm up food the old-fashioned way, using your stovetop or oven? It’s how we did things prior to the convenience decade of the 1980s. Nature leans toward simplicity, not convenience, and so does health.

Our soil and food is not as nutrient-dense as it once was. Mass crop production equates to watered-down nutrients, soils stripped of valuable minerals and microbiota. It’s important to support your nutrition needs through supplementation now more than ever as well as make wise lifestyle choices.

So, be sure to supplement responsibly! As our company name implies, our products contain no fillers, flow agents, excipients, artificial coloring ---purity is our priority.