Many processed foods contain additives to maintain or improve safety and freshness, improve or maintain nutritional value and improve taste, texture and appearance of the products. Food additives may be natural or artificial ingredients. The Food and Drug Administration regulates the types and quantities of food additives that are used by manufacturers. Nonetheless, food additives may increase your health risks. Consult your doctor about the need to avoid food additives.
Preservatives
Antimicrobial preservatives, such as nitrites and benzoates, increase the shelf life of foods by slowing spoilage caused by bacteria, mold, fungi, yeast or air. These preservatives may also reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses, such as botulism. Nitrites and nitrates, used to give meats a pink color, may increase your risk of stomach cancer, according to research by scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institute in Sweden and published in the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" in 2006. Antioxidants, such as sulfites, butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene, slow the oxidation of fats and oils in foods from becoming rancid or developing an off-flavor. Sulfite-containing preservatives are used to prevent beverages and dried fruits from discoloring. However, sulfites can increase the risk of asthma symptoms that include wheezing and life-threatening allergic reactions. Preservatives may also promote the natural ripening of fruits and vegetables and prevent their skins from turning color.
Colors
Coloring additives are pigments or dyes that increase consumer appeal of foods. Manufacturers use color additives to offset color loss to environmental conditions such as temperature, light, air and moisture. The FDA has approved nine certified colored additives, mostly artificial, but there are others that are exempt from certification, particularly natural substances. Moreover, the FDA does not require manufacturers to put food colorings on labels of food products. This can be worrisome, particularly for parents of hyperactive children. Evidence from 15 clinical research studies demonstrate that artificial food colorings in foods may increase neurobehavioral toxicity and stimulate hyperactive behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to research published in the "Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics" in 2004.
Flavors and Sweeteners
Natural and artificial flavors, spices and sweeteners are used in foods to improve their taste. Foods that often contain flavors and sweeteners include salad dressings, barbeque and other types of sauces, puddings and pie fillings, ice cream, cakes, soft drinks and candies. Sweeteners, such as table sugar, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, mannitol, sorbitol, saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame and acesulfame, are used in beverages, desserts, breads, and many other types of processed foods. Research published in the "International Journal of Pediatric Obesity" in 2010 reports that epidemiological data demonstrates an association between the consumption of artificial sweeteners and weight gain, yet there is not conclusive clinical evidence for how these sweeteners have affected the global rise in pediatric obesity and diabetes.
Nutritional Fortifiers
Manufacturers fortify processed foods with vitamins, minerals and fiber, particularly because processing removes these essential nutrients. Fortification reduces the nutritional deficiencies of these substances that would otherwise occur. The FDA requires food labels to state the added nutrients.
References
- Food and Drug Administration: Food Ingredients and Colors
- PubMed: Processed Meat Consumption and Stomach Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis
- Cleveland Clinic: Sulfite Sensitivity
- PubMed: Do Artificial Food Colors Promote Hyperactivity in Children with Hyperactive Syndromes? A Meta-Analysis of Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials
- "Int J Pediatr Obes"; Artificial Sweeteners: A Systematic Review of Metabolic Effects in Youth; Brown, R.J., M.A. de Banate, et al.; Aug 2010
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