You would think we’d all be pretty well versed in the dangers of food additives by now, but experts say most of us lack a “sufficient understanding” and need to become more educated. Professor Peter Piper from Sheffield University has issued a stark warning that certain compounds found in fizzy drinks could damage cell DNA, while a study into additives and their effect on children’s behaviour conducted by the University of Southampton on behalf of Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) revealed certain colourings and additives could increase hyperactivity.
Some experts fear that although additives may have been approved on an individual basis, we still don’t know what their combined effect on the body may be. Professor Vyvyan Howard, a pathologist and professor of bioimaging at the University of Ulster, who has conducted research into the “cocktail” effects of food additives, says, “These chemicals are tested one at a time and declared safe one at a time, but we are exposed to a mixture of chemicals. Their combined effect could be more than simply adding two or three separate chemicals.”
If you want to live an additive-free life, the easiest option is to eat food that is freshly prepared. But if you do buy processed food, it can’t hurt to know exactly what you are feeding your body.
E211: sodium benzoate
Piper discovered that E211, commonly found in soft drinks, pickles and sauces to prevent mould growing, could damage DNA. This could cause the same sort of liver damage seen in alcoholics, and is linked to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Piper’s original laboratory research was published in 1999, but he is raising the issue again to highlight the need for modern safety tests. “Many of the tests on these chemicals were done 50 years ago when we simply did not know how to measure this kind of damage,” he says.
E621: monosodium glutamate (MSG)
A flavour enhancer often associated with Chinese food, it’s also found in canned and frozen foods, and snacks like crisps. A study by Hirosaki University in Japan in 2002 discovered eating a diet high in MSG could damage the retina, leading to loss of vision. Researchers said small amounts in the diet were OK but those with existing retina problems should be careful. The Migraine Trusts also lists MSG as a common migraine trigger and says many sufferers eliminate it from their diets. Last year, Howard and a team of researchers from the University of Liverpool found MSG combined with other additives, such as brilliant blue food colouring, stopped nerve cells growing and disrupted brain-signalling systems.
E951: aspartame
This controversial additive is 180 times sweeter than sugar and found in many sugar-free foods including soft drinks, cakes and dairy products. A number of reports have cast doubt on its safety and, even 20 years ago, there were concerns over its use. Dr Louis Elsas, a professor of genetics and paediatrics, testified before Congress in the United States that aspartame could cause neurological damage in children and raised concerns over the additive passing from pregnant mothers to their unborn child, affecting brain development. However last year the European Food Safety Authority confirmed it was safe to use.
E102: tartrazine
This synthetic food dye gives many foods their bright yellow colouring. The FSA agrees that studies show E102 can cause hives, itchy skin or asthma in susceptible people. It is commonly linked to hyperactivity in children – research by the Hyperactive Children’s Support Group in 1987 found that 87% of children who had been diagnosed as hyperactive also had adverse reactions to artificial colourings. A study by the University of Southampton in 2004 also found children consuming additives, including tartrazine, had higher levels of hyperactivity.
E104: quinoline yellow
Another yellow dye, used to colour medicines, some soft drinks, Scotch eggs and smoked fish, this is banned in the US and Australia for its possible cancer-causing properties. Studies by the US National Toxicology Programme in 1997 found rats fed the colouring had higher rates of liver and kidney tumours. Howard’s team found that when E104 was combined with aspartame (many common soft drinks contain them both), the effect on nerve cells was up to seven times greater than when the additives were tested alone. The combined additives were not tested in vast quantities, but at concentrations that mimicked the amount in a child’s bloodstream after eating foods containing these colourings. The Aspartame Information Service, which represents the sweetener industry, dismissed the research, saying that it “did not provide any meaningful information” because it exposed mouse cells in the laboratory to undigested aspartame.
E407: carrageenan
A gelling agent extracted from seaweed by boiling, carrageenan can be found in ice cream and yoghurts, or as a fat substitute in some meat and soy products. Twenty-five years ago the International Agency for Research on Cancer said there was enough evidence from animal tests to class degraded carrageenan (a form of carrageenan that has been heated to very high temperatures and treated with acid to make it easier to use in other substances) as a potential cancer-causing agent to humans. Degraded carrageenan is not permitted for use in food, but a review of studies into carrageenan and cancer by the University of Iowa in 2001 found the undegraded additive could become degraded in our digestive system, leading to an increased risk of cancers in the gut. Dr Joanne Tobacman, who conducted the review, said, “The widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet should be reconsidered.”
E220: sulphur dioxide
This preservative is commonly used in beer, wine, soft drinks and dried fruits to stop them fermenting. Asthmatics may suffer an attack after inhaling sulphur dioxide and it has also been linked to stomach upsets. An ongoing review by the World Health Organisation Expert Committee on Food Additives confirmed sulphur dioxide could destroy vitamin B1, so having a soft drink with your meal could wipe out its vitamin B1 content. The same review found that animal and lab tests revealed that consuming E220 could increase the amount of calcium lost by the body – raising your risk of the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis – and could cause DNA damage.
E124: ponceau 4R
This red food colouring is often found in soft drinks, sweets and puddings, and is one of the additives being investigated for triggering hyperactivity. E124 has been banned in the US and Norway as a cancer-causing chemical. A study published in Toxicological Sciences in 2001 found there was a connection between the colouring and tumours in animals, but called for more conclusive research to be carried out. A review of food additives carried out by the FSA’s committee on toxicity last year found ponceau 4R could have an effect on brain development in young children.–