Love everything about Huel’s nutrition, taste, & animal-friendly mission and am your ideal customer, but I feel forced to cancel my subscription due to Huel’s toxic levels of Zinc, Iron, & Copper which exacerbate risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Please notify me if/when you offer a safe & healthy formula for longer term consumption and I will be glad to resubscribe.
Huel ingredients:
- Zinc: 191% of daily recommended value
- Iron: 220% of daily recommended value
- Copper: 144% of daily recommended value
I understand Huel’s desire to double as foods & multi-vitamin-like from a marketing standpoint, but these dangerous levels of Zinc, Iron, & Copper are too high on their own, and worse when you consider that most people additionally consume more of these elements via other meals of the day. I know it’s hard to alter your formula for one customer’s request, but 15-20 years in the future when there’s a massive statistical correlation between Huel’s top long term customers and Alzheimer’s disease you’ll find it compelling to adapt. Please, let’s avoid that pain and suffering (and Huel PR disaster) and tone down the levels of these 3 elements. Instead of 144-220% of Recommended Daily Value, Huel should provide at most 50% of RDV on the assumption that customers eat some non-Huel food as well that will help round out the other 50%. For long term brain health, it’s better to be slightly too low on these & have the option to supplement as needed as opposed to forced into the current toxic overdose that Huel provides.
References:
Zinc and Alzheimer's disease: is there a direct link? - PubMed - Zinc & Alzheimer’s
Role of Copper in the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease Compared to Other Metals - PMC - Copper & Alzheimer’s
(link removed b/c new users are limited to two links, you can Google for it…) - Iron & Alzheimer’s
Relevant excerpts from “Power Foods for your Brain” by Neal Barnard:
“All three of these metals are needed by the body—copper for building enzymes, iron for blood cells, and zinc for nerve transmission, among many other functions. You get them in the foods you eat. But it turns out that if you get too much of any of them, they can damage your brain cells. The difference between a safe amount and a toxic amount is surprisingly small. And that is exactly the problem.”
“[over-consumption of these minerals] encourages beta-amyloid proteins to clump together to form plaques [responsible for Alzheimer’s]. Iron and copper appear to promote clumping, too, but zinc seems to be much more aggressive in this regard.”
“Take a look in your kitchen cupboard. Do you keep a bottle of multiple vitamins? A One A Day Men’s Health Formula multivitamin has 2 milligrams of copper—more than twice the RDA—in a single pill. It exceeds the RDA for zinc, too. In fact, if you take a look at most any vitamin-mineral supplement, you’ll find copper, zinc, and sometimes iron.”
“…many of us imagine we are doing a smart thing by taking a daily multiple vitamin, and we are, in many ways. It’s an excellent source of vitamin B12 and vitamin D, both of which are important for health. But the metals that are often added are mostly unnecessary, because you are already getting them in foods. A better choice is a supplement containing vitamins only, without the added copper, zinc, iron, or other minerals.”
“Take a look at your breakfast cereal. No doubt the food scientists at General Mills imagined you wanted all the iron and zinc they’ve added to a box of Total—a full day’s supply of each in every serving. But you do not need these added metals, and you are better off without them. Many other breakfast cereals are similar, giving you too much of a good thing.”
“Plant-based diets also help you avoid the overdose of zinc and copper. There are adequate amounts of these minerals in vegetables, beans, and whole grains. In fact, there may be more copper in these foods than in meats. But if you were to do blood tests on people who avoid meat, you would find that they are slightly lower in iron, copper, and zinc, which is a good thing. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. Aside from your body’s ability to shut out nonheme iron, there is a natural substance called phytic acid in many plants that tends to limit copper and zinc absorption.”
“How Much Do You Really Need? Here are the recommended daily allowances, showing how much copper, iron, and zinc your body needs. It is important to include these minerals in your diet, but it is also important to avoid excesses. Copper: 0.9 milligram per day for men and women. Healthful sources include beans, green leafy vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and mushrooms. Iron: 8 milligrams per day for adult men and for women over fifty; 18 milligrams for women between nineteen and fifty. Healthful sources include green leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains, and dried fruits. Zinc: 11 milligrams per day for men, 8 milligrams per day for women. Healthful sources include oatmeal, whole-grain bread, brown rice, peanuts, beans, nuts, peas, and sesame seeds.”
“A Menu for a Strong Memory As we have seen in the past three chapters, protecting your memory starts with three improvements to the menu: 1. Shield Yourself from Toxic Metals You’ll want to limit exposure to copper, iron, and zinc, and there is no reason to expose yourself to aluminum at all. With a few judicious choices when it comes to food products, cookware, multiple vitamins, antacids, and so on, you will have enormous control over these potential toxins. …”
