Manufacturers of food products add preservatives to many of the foods you eat for a variety of reasons. Preservatives can protect foods from microorganisms and environmental decay and delay the natural decay or rotting process of the food items. Additionally, preservatives can enhance the look and the flavors of many food items. However, preservatives can also cause harm to your body.
Commonly Used Preservatives
Commonly used preservatives include sulfites, sodium nitrite, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), benzoic acid, sulfur dioxide, sodium benzoate, citric and ascorbic acids, EDTA and propionates. According to the book "Process-Induced Food Toxicants: Occurrence, Formation, Mitigation, and Health Risks," the preservative BHT may cause harm to your genetic material and cells.
Sulfites
Manufacturers should not add sulfites to foods with vitamin B1 because these preservatives can destroy the vitamin. Sulfites can also induce allergic reactions or make allergic reactions worse. The Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of sulfites on fresh fruits vegetables.
Nitrite and Paraben Preservatives
According to "Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Disease," nitrite preservatives can react with amino acids in your body, potentially forming cancer-causing nitrosamines. Propionate preservatives can lead to allergic reactions. Paraben preservatives can raise the risk of breast cancer and cause reproductive dysfunction. Additionally, boys exposed to excessive amounts of parabens prior to puberty may increase the likelihood of developing testicular cancer, prostate disorders and sperm abnormalities. Cosmetics containing formaldehyde, methyl, hexachlorophene and propyl paraben preservatives can irritate your skin, potentially damage your nervous system and cause cancer.
Alternatives
Since most processed foods contain preservatives, you should try to eat organic, whole foods whenever possible. Although the FDA requires food manufacturers to list all ingredients including preservatives on package labels, you can never really know how much of a specific preservative you ingest by eating a food item. According to "Process-Induced Food Toxicants," preservatives can build up in your system over time. There are many different types of preservatives and your specific reaction to any preservative will also depend on how much of the preservative you consume and any health conditions you might have.
References
- "Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Disease Revised Reprint: Text with CD-ROM (Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases)"; Sarah S. Long MD, Larry K. Pickering and Charles G. Prober MD; 2009
- "The Nutrition Bible: The Comprehensive, No-Nonsense Guide to Foods, Nutrients, Additives, Preservatives, Pollutants, and Everything Else We Eat and"; Jean Anderson and Barbara Deskins; 1995
- "Process-Induced Food Toxicants: Occurrence, Formation, Mitigation, and Health Risks"; Richard H. Stadler and David R. Lineback; 2009
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