You would think we'd all be pretty well-versed in the dangers of food additives by now. However, the British Nutrition Foundation, says most of us lack a "sufficient understanding" and has called for better education.
This campaign could not be more timely. Peter Piper, a professor at Sheffield University, has just 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 behavior is currently being conducted by the University of Southampton on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). It will be published in a few months, but a leaked report revealed that certain colorings and additives could increase hyperactivity.
The leak coincided with a promise from the UK's major supermarkets to ban potentially dangerous additives from the majority of their own-brand products by the end of the year.
A spokesperson for the FSA said, "All additives approved for use in this country undergo stringent tests and are safe for use. The health dangers are either non-existent or controlled by the safe levels within the food."
But 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.
Vyvyan Howard, a pathologist and professor of bioimaging at the University of Ulster, who has conducted research into the "cocktail" effects of food additives, said: "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."
Modern tests
Both the FSA and experts raising awareness of additives agree that 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 mold, 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 said.
A review by the WHO in 2000 into sodium benzoate reported a vast number of studies showing people suffered from hives, asthma and anaphylactic shock after exposure to this additive.
E621 -- monosodium glutamate: A flavor enhancer often associated with Chinese food, it's also found in canned and frozen foods, and snacks like potato chips.
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 coloring, stopped nerve cells growing and disrupted brain-signaling systems.
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