Which Food Additives Are Safe, Unsafe Or Questionable
As soon as the word "additives" is used, the knee-jerk response tends to be "just avoid them...period". While choosing a diet that is devoid of most additives is a good way to go, we mustn't paint all additives with the same broad stroke. Here is a partial list of the safe, the potentially unsafe and the proven to be unsafe. Note that there are many unresolved safety issues with a great number of additives, and thus it is difficult to categorize items as either safe or unsafe.
A full guide (which differs slightly from mine) is available in the May issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter.
The Safe
These additives have an excellent record of safety so far.
- Any Vitamin: Yes, vitamins are used as additives in items such as; cereal, oils, butter, and margarines. They are typically Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Beta Carotene and Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E).
- Calcium/Sodium Propionate: A preservative that prevents the growth of mould
- Calcium/Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate/Fumarate: A dough conditioner and whipping agent used in bread and liquid or frozen egg whites.
- Carrageenan: A stabilizing/thickening agent derived from seaweed found in chocolate milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt.
- Citric Acid: A chelating and flavoring agent used to add tartness and control acidity of foods - usually deserts.
- EDTA: A chelating agent designed to remove trace amounts of metals in foods. It is found in margarine, mayonnaise, and salad dressings.
- Gelatin: A gelling and thickening agent derived from animal hides and bones found in cheese spreads, ice cream and yogurt.
- Inulin: Fat and sugar substitute found in margarine, baked goods, fillings, salad dressings that adds soluble fiber.
- Splenda (Sucralose): This one has been intensely debated, but research to date demonstrated a good record of safety.
- Gums (Arabic, Guar, Locust Bean, Furcelleran, Xanthan): Found in beverages, candy, drink mixes, salad dressings derived from bushes, trees and seaweed.
The Unsafe
These additives have either been proven to cause cancer or have been inadequately tested.
- Most Artificial Colours: Anything with a colour in the name (Brilliant Blue FCF, Fast Green FCF, Sunset Yellow FCF) as well as Erythrosine are potentially
- Acesulphafe-Potassium: Poorly tested artificial sweetener was shown to cause cancer in some studies conducted in the 1970's. It is found in pop and chewing gum.
- Partially Hydrogenated Oil: Also known as trans fats have been deemed harmful to our health. They are making their way out of the food chain but can still be found in many foods.
- Olestra (olean): The fat substitute found in chips is a synthetic fat that isn't absorbed when passing through the digestive system. It can cause severe diarrhea and cramping.
- Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA): Found in cereal, chewing gum, oil and potato chips in prevents rancidity. Based on animal studies, it is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.
- Sodium Nitrate/Nitrite: This colorant/preservative prevents meats from looking grey and helps prevent the growth of bacteria that cause botulism. Adding nitrite to food can release carcinogenic nitrosamines, particularly in fried bacon. The risk of cancer is small, but it still may be best to stay away.
The Uncertain
These additives either cause adverse reaction or have been shown to be disease-causing at very high doses. These should be used cautiously.
- Tartrazine: This is a widely used coloring that can cause mild allergic reactions.
- MSG (monosodium glutamate): This is generally a very safe additive but could cause some idiosyncratic reactions in some people. Studies have shown that most people who think they react adversely to it actually do not.
- Sodium Benzoate: Found in carbonated drinks, fruit juices and pickles, this preservative appears to be safe, but sensitive people may cause an allergic reaction to sensitive individuals. Also, when mixed with ascorbic acid, benzene can form which causes leukemia and other cancers.
- Aspartame: Although a ton of studies have demonstrated it to be safe in reasonable quantities, some independent studies have shown some potentially harmful effects. More independent, well-conducted studies are needed in my opinion.
- Stevia: Like other sweeteners, much debate exists regarding the safety of stevia. Most studies have shown it to be safe, however large doses have been linked to infertility in rats. Early studies concluded that it would take about 15000 stevia tablets to kill a 110 lbs individual. Still, stevia can only be sold as a dietary supplement in the US and Canada.
The best policy is to skip over the pre-packaged and process foods most of the time. Most of the unsafe, and/or questionable additives are in foods that you would want to eat very sparingly anyway. It's also important to note that the term "safe" is a relative one, as the majority of additives are sugar and salt and their permutations. While high fructose corn syrup and sodium are "safe" to consume, the long term health consequences of its consumption are detrimental.
Sources:
- Environment, Health and Safety Website
- Nutrition Action Healthletter: Chemical Cuisine. May, 2008.
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Best way is to go natural and then you don't have the worry of any additives at all.
ReplyNature does not equal benign.
For example, willow bark can be used to treat pain because it contains salicylic acid. Much better than the chemically mass produced acetyl-salicylic acid (aspirin) right?
Wrong. The reason aspirin became so popular is because it is milder on the stomach than the "natural" remedy - salicylic acid causes ulcers.
In fact, molecules are molecules are molecules, it doesn't matter where a molecule is produced (in a plant or in the lab) it depends on how it interacts with the body.
ReplyI think the sodium nitrate/nitrite is a great example. It's true that they are associated with an increased risk of cancer and of pulmonary disease. But, botulism kills a lot faster. If you're going to have a diet that includes cured meat (and in the US, where bacon is ubiquitous, it's hard to avoid cured meats), you're going to have nitrates.
Replyproper handling and storage of cured meats helps to prevent botulism. I've been eating nitrate free bacon for a couple of years now. It tastes so much better and I've never had a problem with it. Although I don't eat it often maybe once a month if I'm lucky.
ReplyI eat nitrate free bacon daily, and am still kicking it to the max. No botulism here.
ReplyYep. Like unpasteurized milk, it can be done, but it takes a lot more care that doesn't scale all that well...
ReplyThanks for the list. I always eat foods that have some form of additives, and it is good to know which ones I should try to avoid. I think it's important to know what additives are in foods, and how they effect the body even if you try to avoid them
ReplyI've recently become an avid - ok obsessive - label reader since my kids developed food allergies (to milk, eggs, & soy - you know, just the basics). Since I nonw read what's in everything we eat, it's a bit frightening to read this list. Both the safe *and* unsafe additives are in foods we eat every day. I guess I'll have to add this to my list of hidden dairy, soy, & egg products...
ReplyI am kinda surprised about Stevia. I really would have thought it would have been on the safe list. Well at least more safe than sucralose?
ReplyPotentially what, man?! Don't leave us hanging!
Replyeek! Good catch Chicken Girl! I must have eaten too much sunset yellow :) I'll get the completed sentence up pronto.
ReplyBTW, it should say "carcinogenic".
ReplyI think that safe list is a great idea. However I think even then it is easy to become complacent. Have tests been done over say a 30 year period? Potenially additives we think are say are mearly taking longer than we suspect to have an affect on our body. It is always going to be safer to have no additives in our food, but not alwasy convenient!
ReplyI prefer to eat natural and avoid as many additives as possible.
ReplyFood additives can be very useful and most of them are very safe, but you do have to be careful with some stuff. Artificial colors are kind of strange...there are a lot of problems with Red #40 and certain other dyes can affect the behavior of kids. You're best off going with foods that use natural colors.
I remember when Olean was really popular. People thought it was this miracle substance that was going to be everywhere and in everything pretty soon. That stuff was wicked though...I remember the time my brother ate half a can of Fat Free Pringles and got the WORST gas he'd ever had. He never ate them again.
People need to realize that just because chemicals are made in a lab doesn't mean they're necessarily bad. Most of the time, they're simply synthetic ways of reproducing naturally occuring substances. Similarly, just because something is natural doesn't mean it's 100% safe either. Cyanide is a natually occuring compound (it's found in apple seeds, for one), but it's not exactly something that you want to eat a lot of :P
Replywhat about isomalt? my mum chomps on sugar free lollies like the are goinig out of fashion but the main ingredient is isomalt....
ReplyMike, Splenda should go into the unsafe category, or at least uncertain.
LD50 of sucralose = 10g/kg
Take a super size pop cup from a fast food joint. Fill it with heated water. Now saturate that water with sucralose. Drink it and die. No joke.
Yeah, so that's a lot of Splenda to kill a person. Probably not gonna happen. But how much to make one sick?
People have been reporting all sorts of problem. Mostly stomachache and nausea. Some muscle cramps. Not worth it, imo.
ReplyThe thing with Splenda is that, like you said, you'd have to eat that much of it all at once to have it kill you. It doesn't build up in your body though, so if you eat small (or even moderate) amounts of it at a time, you pass it out of your system. Most people who get sick from it are sensitive to it's gastrointestinal effects. Otherwise, since it doesn't build up in your system, it's not considered a dangerous additive.
As for isomalt, it's in the same category of sugar alcohols. They are generally regarded as safe, but they can have a laxative effect if you eat enough of them at once.
ReplyJust want to mention here that as far as the sodium benzoate is concerned, since it is questionable, I think I would probably be better off to just stay away from it all=together.I am trying to stay away from all those additives and preservatives anyway, I believe one would be better off nutritionally to try and avoid them in the long run. I am an avid holistically minded individual and fully believe in doing things the all natural way. Also, I disagree that caragennan is considered safe, I am trying to follow a blood type diet, and according to a naturopathic doctor that founded this diet, he states that carageenan is an avoid for all blood types and found out in an article that it causes stomach upsets and stomach aches and can be considered carcinogenic. It is also found in certain soy milk products which explains why some people have a hard time digesting soy milk and get stomach distress from it. So, in my opinion, would rethink that one.
Replyi just read that your body only digest like 20-40% of splenda. here's one website i found interesting, http://www.splendaexposed.com/articles/2005/02/weird_science_h.html
Replyand one more http://www.professornutrition.com/newsletters/10splendanews%20copy.pdf
the funny thing is, splenda totes that they lower your blood sugar, well i've used splenda for a while now, and just recently my blood sugar has started to spike and stay there, i'm a type of person who will stick with the same foods that will work, so i can keep my sugar in the same range. LOL so i know its not the foods. i don't have anything other than sugar free stuff. and i drink lots of tea/w splenda, so it has to be that. i've read that some people have the same problem. the one article said that if under 2% is a carcinogen sp then they don't have to list it. hmmmmm. splenda don't list the other 2. what are they???? ~Medo
Your 'SAFE' additives are NOT safe and you have no idea what you are describing to people here. Have you actually done your research? MSG? DUH! What do you think carrageenan is?
ReplyGet a clue and stop mis-leading people.