Is Microwaving Food Any More Dangerous than Heating it with a Conventional Oven?
Some experts claim that the effects microwaves have on molecules can all be explained simply as the “thermic effect” of heating–in other words, microwave cooking is no more detrimental to food than conventional heating. They argue that, since microwaves are non-ionizing radiation, then it’s impossible for them to damage your blood cells, or eradicate the folic acid in your spinach. Others have proposed there is some sort of “microwave effect” that causes changes in the molecules in a way that conventional heating does not. For many years, the party line was that “microwave effect” is a myth. However, study after study has resulted in evidence to the contrary, showing effects that cannot be explained away as simple thermal effects. In a letter entitled “DNA and the Microwave Effect” [19] (sourced as Penn State University, 2001), the author reviews the history of the controversy surrounding the microwave effect and the research findings to date. He explains that, although fundamentals o
