Professor Bírošová fully agrees with Valík and adds that mushrooms are really not a sunscreen and the findings from laboratory tests with a pure extract cannot be transferred to normal eating.
Myths about cooking and absorption of nutrients
Another problematic area, according to Bukovsky’s experts, is the heat treatment of vegetables.
Professor Valík points out that when evaluating the impact of heat, it is necessary to strictly distinguish the chemical properties of individual nutrients, which Igor Bukovsky completely neglected and generalized in the broadcast.
According to him, Bukovsky was right in that heat treatment disrupts cell structures and releases, for example, carotenoids, which actually increases their bioavailability for the human intestine.
Similarly, it also applies correctly when recommending to stew mushrooms for a short time. The cell walls of mushrooms are made up of difficult-to-digest chitin, which humans do not have enough enzymes to break down, and heat dramatically improves their digestibility.
In the case of asparagus, however, Bukovsky claimed on the air that vitamin C and folic acid become more available to the body through cooking.
The expert flatly rejects it. “They are extremely sensitive, thermolabile molecules soluble in water. When exposed to heat, their oxidation and irreversible destruction,” Professor Valík explains to Aktuality.sk, adding that no heat treatment will increase their quantity or availability compared to their raw state.
This selective work with information is also criticized by Professor Bírošová from the Department of Nutrition and Food Quality Assessment at the Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology of STU, for example, when she claims that by steaming spinach in water, oxalates that prevent the absorption of minerals are destroyed.
The expert draws attention to a fundamental error in logic, because a person cannot get rid of oxalates by leaching them into a small amount of water, which he then consumes. Since these substances do not evaporate, they reliably remain in the food, which can lead, for example, to the formation of kidney stones.
“A recipe with 30 seconds in the microwave as an argument for significantly reducing oxalates is weak. Oxalates are best reduced by contact with water and then pouring out the water; a microwave with a minimum of water reduces them less than cooking,” explained Professor Bírošová.
Taken out of context and without warnings about the risks
Experts agree that perhaps the biggest risk of Bukowski’s speeches is the way he turns common foods into supermedicines for serious diseases and ignores important contraindications for specific populations.
Bukovsky claimed that zeaxanthin in spinach acts as a supportive treatment for glioblastoma and lycopene in tomatoes directly protects against breast or prostate cancer.
According to Professor Bírošová, this is a dangerous bohemianization of food without direct clinical evidence, thanks to which the listener can get the false impression that increased consumption of certain types of vegetables will safely protect against cancer.
Both experts agreed that the broadcast also lacks important health warnings.
Professor Valík adds a critical context to the consumption of mushrooms, which is crucial for children’s safety. According to him, forest mushrooms are absolutely unsuitable for children under ten to twelve years of age, as they function like sponges in the wild and accumulate heavy metals or radioactive substances from the soil. They represent a critical risk of poisoning for children’s detoxification organs, explained Valík.
Valík further added that commercially grown mushrooms are safe from the point of view of toxicity from the age of two or three, but they are a huge burden for a child’s immature tract and require not only thorough heat treatment, but also administration in minimal portions to avoid painful spasms.
Professor Bírošová reminds that spinach is not recommended for patients taking blood thinners and that tomatoes pose a problem for people with histamine intolerance, which neither moderator Milan Jeluš nor health nutrition expert Bukovský told the audience.
The analyzes of both experts clearly show that Bukowski’s final practical interpretations for everyday life contain serious scientific inaccuracies and medical risks.
“Presentation of scientific hypotheses or partial in vitrothe results as definitive and guaranteed facts can provoke undesirable and dangerous behavior among the general public,” concludes Professor Valík.
Professor Bírošová adds that no food is a super cure for diseases, and taking facts out of context can lead to an underestimation of real professional treatment.
We tried to establish a telephone contact with Igor Bukovský for a response to the experts’ findings, and we also sent him specific questions. However, he did not comment on the topic until the publication of this article.
STVR’s response: This is a lifestyle format
The editorial staff of Aktuality.sk requested an official opinion on the content and control of the show directly from the management of STVR.
In response, the television station stated that the section Healthy living is easy is only a short popularizing lifestyle format and its aim is not to lead a professional medical polemic or exhaustively discuss all scientific connections, study limits or contraindications.
According to the STVR, the rubric is intended to convey knowledge about nutrition in an understandable way, while not replacing medical recommendations and not creating the impression that foods are a treatment or a substitute for standard prevention.
However, the public media added that it is aware of its responsibility in conveying health information. “Therefore, we take expert suggestions and reservations about the broadcast content seriously and assess them in accordance with the editorial procedures and standards of public media. If the expert assessment proves the need to clarify or supplement the broadcast content, STVR will take appropriate editorial measures,” concluded the television and radio management.
