The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed revoking its regulation authorizing the nationwide use of brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, as an additive in food.
The FDA’s decision comes after California banned the ingredient in October by passing the California Food Safety Act, the first state law in the United States to ban brominated vegetable oil. The additive is already banned in Europe and Japan.
“The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health … found the potential for adverse health effects in humans,” said James Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, in a statement.
It was in Gatorade and other sports drinks for a long time, and athletes probably drink more of that while also pushing their bodies to more extremes than the rest of us, and I didn’t see any evidence of harm going on there when I was looking up what BVO was.
The body is really great at removing both things, but with any substance, too much can exceed an organ’s capacity to desk with it. Even water is deadly (very painfully, too) if you drink too much too fast. Your cells will burst from osmsosis. Brain cells are especially susceptible. It’s called hyponatremia.
Probably cause real athletes don’t drink Gatorade. Too much sugar and not enough potassium. Electrolyte beverages and coconut water are more common among athletes.