Side effects of Food additive

Unhealthy Food Additives

 If you love eating colorful and flavored modern junk food, then definitely your are putting your health on risk. Now the days every food & beverages contains food additives. These food additives are used as coloring, flavoring, preservatives. The foods with food additives include packed wafers, chips, jam, jellies, frozen food, ice-cream, chocolates, others and beverages include soft drinks, packed milk products, health drink, energy drinks, others.  These additives are known to be associated with some sort of side effects. These side-effects are ranges from minor to mild. Here an effort made to brief the side-effect of these food & beverages additives.

Let’s first understand what these food additives are. Food additives are substances which are used in food product to enhance appearance, color, taste, and consistency & preservation time. These additives are coloring agents, flavoring agents, preservatives.

Coloring Agents:- These are substances (synthetic, semi-synthetic or natural)added to foods or beverages to enhance its appearance & color. It is used to make product look attractive and acceptable.

Flavoring Agents:- These are substances(synthetic, semi-synthetic or natural) added to foods or beverages to enhance taste & odor. It is used to make product tasty & pleasant.

Preservatives;- These are substances(synthetic, semi-synthetic or natural) added to foods or beverages to enhance storage time. It is used to increase expiry period of product.

Now let’s see serial wise side-effects of these additives-

COLORING ADDITIVES

1. Tartrazin (E102) :- Used to impart yellow color to drinks, sweets, jams, cereals, snack food, packed soup, ice-creams, biscuits creams.

Side-effects :-  Causes chromosomal damages, Utricaria (hive), known to provoke asthma attacks. It is banned in Norway & Astria.

2. Quinoline Yellow (E104) :- Use to imapart yellow color to lipsticks, medicine, hair products.

Side-effects :- Causes skin releated issue like dermatitis. It is banned in Australia, USA.

3. Sunset Yellow FCF/Orange Yellow S (E110):- Used in Cereals, bakery, sweets, snacks food, ice-creams for yellow colour.

Side-effect:-Utricaria, rhinitis (runny nose), nasal congestion, allergies, hyperactivity, kidney tumor , abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, indigestion.

4. Azorubine, Carmoisine (E122) :- Azorubine, Carmoisine are use to impart red color to jelly crystals, confectionary.

Side-effect:- Can cause bad reaction to asthmatics and people allergy to aspirin. It is banned in USA, Austria, Norway.

5. Amaranth FD&C Red no.2 (E123) :- Amaranth is obtain from natural resources and used to impart red color in cake mixes, fruit-flavored drinks, jelly crystals, etc.

Side-effects:-  It can provoke asthma, eczema and hyperactivity. In animal study it causes defect and foetal death. It is banned in USA, Russia, Austria, Norway and many other countries.

6. Ponceau 4R, Cochineal Red A (E124):- Used to impart red color in  Carbonated drinks, Ice-creams Confectionery items Desserts & others.

 Side-effects:-  Causes Cancer - DNA damage and tumors in animals, can produce bad reactions in asthmatics.

7.  Erythrosine (E127):- Erythrosine widely used red coloring agents used in cherries, canned fruit, sweets, bakery products, snacks.

Side-effect:-  Causes hypersensitivity to light, cancer, increase thyroid hormone level and lead to hyperthyroidism.

8. Indigo Carmine (E132):- Used in Ice-creams, Sweets, Baked goods, Confectionery items, Biscuits

Side-effect:- May cause nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, breathing problems and brain tumors, DNA

damage and tumors in animals. Banned in the US, Japan, Australia and Norway.

9. Brilliant Blue (E133):- Used to impart blue color in dairy products, sweets & drinks.

Side-effects:- It can cause Hyperactivity and skin rashes, listed as human carcinogen by the US EPA, cause DNA damage and tumors in animals. Banned in Austria, Belgium,France, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.

FLAVORING & SWEETENING ADDITIVES

1. Aspartame (E951):- Used as “sugar free” products/ diet Product, jelly, desserts, sugar free gum, drink mixes, table top sweeteners, cereal, breath-mints, puddings, ice tea, chew-able vitamins, toothpaste, and cough syrup.
Side-effect:- Aspartame is a neurotoxin and carcinogen May cause neurological damage, especially in younger children where brain is still developing. Known to erode intelligence and affect short-term memory, the components of this toxic sweetener may lead to a wide variety of ailments including brain tumor, diseases like lymphoma, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety attacks, dizziness, headaches, nausea, mental confusion and seizures.  

2. Monosodium Glutamate MSG (E621):- Used in Processed food, soups, packed chickens, drinks, jams, etc to enhance taste &  .

Side-effect:- It causes Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, Having ability to destroy nerve cell of brain, aggravating or accelerating Huntington’s. Increase hypersensitivity.

3. High Fructose Corn syrup (HFCs):-  Used for making thick paste in fruit juice, drinks, flavored drinks, Honey, cereals, candies, Ice-cream etc.

Side - effect:- The biggest problem associated with it is habit- the user become habitual to it, obesity, Diabetes mellitus, Increased triglycerides, Increased level of Uric acid, Hives, bowel syndrome.

4. Saccharine (E954):- It’s 100 times sweeter than sugar. Used in Colas, sweet syrups, ice-cream additives, chewing gum & others.

Side-effect:- It may interfere with blood coagulation, blood sugar level & digestive function, obesity. Banned in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, France, Taiwan & some other countries.

5. Acesulphame K (E950):-  It is also 100 times sweeter than sugar. Used in Fruit juices, ice- creams, Jam, Jellies, Toothpaste & Mouthwashes, carbonated drinks, Sauces, Milk products etc.

Side-effects:- Linked to hypoglycemia, lung tumors, increased cholesterol and leukemia, obesity.

PRESERVATIVES

1. Sodium Benzoate (E211):- Used as preservatives in Carbonated drinks, Pickles, Sauces, vinegars, ready to make soup powders.

Side-effects:- Aggravates asthma, suspected to be neurotoxin and carcinogen, causes fetal abnormalities, hypersensitivity.

2. Sulphur Dioxide (E220):- Sulfites are widely used in the preservation of fruits and vegetables and are added to many processed snacks including cookies, pickles, soft drinks, meat, cereal bars, yogurt, ice cream, candy, frozen french fries, bread, margarine, and gluten-free flours.

Side-effect:-  it can induce asthma when inhaled or ingested, sulfur dioxide when introduced, it inhibits specific nerve signals, restricts lung performance and is a direct allergen where over 65% asthmatic children are sensitive to sulfur dioxide, Nausea, Destroy Vitamin B1.

3. Benzoic Acid:-  Used as Preservatives fruit juices, soft drinks, pickles, barbecue sauces and salad dressings.

Side-effects:-  Inhibit digestive enzyme causing discomfort, reduce glycine levels. Must be avoid in asthma.

4. Calcium Sulphite (E226) :- Used in processed meat, seafood, breads, wine, beer and dried fruits and according to conflicting reports, even fresh-cut potatoes. Calcium sulphite may also be used in prepared salads, prepared fruit salads and in fruit and vegetable products such as beverages and sauces.

Side-effect:- Causes Bronchial problem, Low blood pressure, must avoid for asthmatic, Cardiovascular and Respiratory problems.  

References:-

1. The World's Most Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us - My Story - , New Horizon Press, ISBN; 0-88282-164-4, Janet Starr Hull 

2.  5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You by Mark Hyman, MD browsed at - http://drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/13/5-reasons-high-fructose-corn-syrup-will-kill-you/ on 10/10/2015

3. Food Additive Unit: Mahanum, Bhuvaneswary, Analiza and Junainah, The New Straits Times, July 7, 2001 Penang (Malaysia) 

4. Benzoic acid- BENZOIC ACID AND SODIUM BENZOATE Corrigenda published by 12 April 2005, First draft prepared by Dr A. Wibbertmann, Dr J. Kielhorn, Dr G. Koennecker, Dr I. Mangelsdorf, and Dr C. Melber, Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Aerosol Research, Hanover, Germany

5. Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for use in Food in the United States, USFDA Guidelines browsed at http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm397725.htm on 19/10/2015.