Reporting her study on the effects of heating baby formula in a microwave oven, Dr. Lita Lee stated that certain trans-amino acids were converted into their synthetic cis-isomers. Synthetic isomers are not biologically active, and therefore not nutritious. Furthermore, 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).

She commented, “It’s bad enough that many babies are not (breast fed), but now they are given fake milk (baby formula) made even more toxic via microwaving”.

Ed.- In her book, Health Effects of Microwave Radiation - Microwave Ovens, she summarises Russian research findings on the effects of microwaving food:

• Microwaving prepared meats sufficiently to ensure sanitary ingestion caused formation of d-Nitroso- dienthanolamines, a well-known carcinogen
• Microwaving milk and cereal grains converted some of their amino acids into carcinogens
• Thawing frozen fruits in a microwave converted their glucoside- and galactoside-containing fractions into carcinogenic substances
• Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens
• Carcinogenic free radicals were formed in microwaved plants, especially root vegetables

Russian researchers also reported that microwaving sped up the rotting process, reducing the foods’ nutritional content by 60-90%. They found:

• decreased availability to the human digestive system of vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals and lipotropics in all food tested
• various kinds of damage to many plant substances, such as alkaloids, glucosides, galactosides and nitrilosides
• damage to nucleo-proteins in meats

* Lipotropics are substances which can liquify or homogenize    fats, and prevent the accumulation of fats in the liver.

Ed.- There is another reason to favour warming a bottle of milk under a hot tap. Young Families, the Minnesota Extension Service of the University of Minnesota, published the following in 1989. “Although microwaves heat food quickly, they are not recommended for heating a baby’s bottle. The bottle may seem cool to the touch, but the liquid inside may become extremely hot and could burn the baby’s mouth and throat. Also, the buildup of steam in a closed container, such as a baby bottle, could cause it to explode”.