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.
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.
Louis Elsas, a professor of genetics and pediatrics, testified before Congress in the US 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.
hyperactivity
However last year the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed it was safe to use.
E102 -- tartrazine: This synthetic food dye gives many foods their bright yellow coloring. 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 percent of children who had been diagnosed as hyperactive also had adverse reactions to artificial colorings. 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 color medicines, some soft drinks, Scotch eggs and smoked fish. It is banned in the US and Australia for its possible cancer-causing properties. Studies by the US National Toxicology Program in 1997 found rats fed the coloring had higher rates of liver and kidney tumors.
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 colorings.
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. Quinoline yellow is also being studied in the current University of Southampton trials.
E407 -- carrageenan: A gelling agent extracted from seaweed by boiling, carrageenan can be found in ice cream and yogurts, 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.
calcium loss
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 additive could become degraded in our digestive system, leading to an increased risk of cancers in the gut.
Joanne Tobacman, who conducted the University of Iowa 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 fermentation. Asthmatics may suffer an attack after inhaling sulphur dioxide and it has also been linked to stomach upsets.
An ongoing review by the WHO 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 coloring is often found in soft drinks, sweets and puddings and is one of the additives currently 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 coloring and tumors 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.
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