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Facts on Bad Food Preservatives

Traditional preservatives like salt and sugar are no longer enough to lengthen the shelf life of many products; nowadays more complex, chemically created preservatives are added to food to avoid it spoiling. Unfortunately, many of these preservatives have negative effects on the body, so it's worth knowing what the possible side effects are just in case you're sensitive to a particular substance.

  1. Links to Cancer

    • Sodium nitrite, BHA and BHT have been linked to cancer. Sodium nitrite is used to preserve cured meats and studies have found a link between consuming large amounts of cured meats and cancer. The link was first discovered in 1956 by John Barnes and Peter Magee, who found that nitrosamine, which is present in sodium nitrite, was a carcinogen that caused liver tumors in rats. BHA and BHT are used in fats and oils to prevent them from going rancid, typically in vegetable oil and potato chips as well as chewing gum. Research has shown both are carcinogenic and can induce liver tumors --- in fact, BHT is banned in England. Experiments on rats showed that some of them contracted various forms of this illness.

    Asthma

    • Benzoic acid gives many fruit juices and carbonated drinks a longer life, as it prevents bacteria from forming. Studies have shown that there is a link between benzoic acid and asthma attacks. Benzoic acid also occurs naturally in small quantities in cinnamon, prunes and tea. The International Programme on Chemical Safety has documented studies of asthma patients who have reported attacks after exposure to benzoic acid.

    Itchiness

    • A couple of preservatives can cause rashes, nettle rash, hives or other itchy conditions. If you have a propensity to these conditions you might want to avoid aspartame, a sweetener used as an alternative to sugar, and benzoic acid.

    Monosodium Glutamate

    • Monosodium Glutamate, or MSG for short, is a common preservative in Chinese food, particularly in sauces and packet soups. The effects depend on the consumer and what conditions they are sensitive to, but reports of nausea, chest pain, asthma attacks, headaches, drowsiness and numbness have surfaced. It is believed that the effects are worse among children and the elderly.

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