SO HOW SAFE IS YOUR SAUCEPAN?

HEALTH scares often involve the food we cook — but now comes one involving the saucepans we cook in. A report has suggested that chemicals found in non-stick pans could be leading to an increased risk of coeliac disease among young people.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition that leads to stomach pain and bloating. Sufferers need to avoid gluten so cannot eat foods such as bread, pasta and cakes.

Previous studies had suggested coeliac disease had a genetic element.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Research, analysed levels of chemicals in the blood of 30 people aged between three and 21 who were newly diagnosed with coeliac disease and compared them to others who did not have the disease.

The researchers found that women with higher levels of chemicals found in non-stick pans in their blood were up to nine times more likely to have coeliac disease. Males had double the risk. So should we abandon our non-stick pans? Hal Sosabowski, a professor of public understanding of science at the University of Brighton, is not convinced. ‘I believe it would require more research before we knew if non-stick pans were behind this rise in coeliac disease,’ he says. ‘Even if there is a correlation between the disease and these chemicals, this does not mean this is the cause of it. ‘In fact, evidence suggests that even if the surface of your non-stick pan was flaking off and you ingested it, it would pass through your digestive system and not cause you harm.’ If anything, he adds, there’s an argument that the bacon you fry in a pan is more harmful (even cancer- causing) than the coating of the pan itself.