Chemical Cuisine - food additives

Nutrition Action Healthletter, March, 1999

A GUIDE TO FOOD ADDITIVES They make our soft drinks sweet without sugar, keep our breads, and cakes from becoming moldy, and help the oil and vinegar in our salad dressings stay mixed. They make us think we're getting fruit or chicken when we're not. And they may cause anything from hives to cancer.

Most food additives are safe, even if you can't pronounce their names. Others haven't been adequately tested. Still others pose a risk. And while that risk is usually tiny for any one person, it can cause serious problems when millions of people consume the additives.

But how do you know if propylene glycol alginate is safe? Or carrageenan? And what about fumaric acid and mono- and diglycerides?

It's a real pain in the aspartame. Think of our guide as a painkiller.

This alphabetical listing of the most common food additives includes what they're used for, some of the foods in which they're found, and our assessment of their safety.

KEY

Next to each additive Is one or more symbols. Here's What they mean.

[A] SAFE.

[B] CUT BACK. Not toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.

[C] CAUTION. May pose a risk and needs to be better tested.

[D] CERTAIN PEOPLE SHOULD AVOID.

[E] EVERYONE SHOULD AVOID. Unsafe or very poorly tested and not worth any risk.

[E] Acesulfame K (Acesulfame Potassium). Artificial sweetener. (Chewing gum, diet soft drinks, frozen desserts, gelatin, no-sugar-added baked goods, tabletop sweetener [Sunett].) The only safety tests--poorly done studies conducted in the 1970s--indicate that acesulfame K may cause cancer.

[A] Alginate, Propylene Glycol Alginate. Foam stabilizers, thickening agents. (Beer, candy, cheese, ice cream, yogurt.)

Alginate is made from seaweed (kelp) and thickens dairy products, canned frostings, and other foods. Propylene glycol alginate thickens acidic foods like salad dressing. It also can stabilize the foam in beer.

[A] Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E). Antioxidant, nutrient. (Vegetable oil.) Vitamin E occurs naturally in nuts, whole grains, and oils. Small amounts are also added to oils to keep them from going rancid.

[D] Artificial Colorings (See chart at right) A Artificial and Natural Flavoring. (Breakfast cereal, candy, gelatin dessert, soda, many other foods.)

Most of the hundreds of chemicals used to mimic natural flavors also occur in nature and are probably safe. But flavorings are often used in junk foods to mask the absence of natural ingredients (often fruit). Flavorings may include additives like MSG or HVP, to which some people are sensitive.

[A] Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C). Antioxidant, color stabilizer, nutrient. (Cereal, cured meat, fruit drinks.)

It helps maintain the red color of luncheon meats and other cured foods, and it prevents the formation of cancer-promoting nitrosamines (see Sodium Nitrite). Vitamin C is also used to pump up the vitamin content of many foods, including "fruit" drinks. Sodium ascorbate is a form of ascorbic acid that dissolves easily. Erythorbic acid is similar to ascorbic acid, but it has no value as a vitamin.

[C][D] Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet). Artificial sweetener. ("Diet" foods like drink mixes, frozen desserts, no-sugar-added gelatin, and soft drinks; tabletop sweetener [Equal].)

Some of its cancer tests raised questions and should be repeated. Some people report dizziness, hallucinations, or headaches after drinking diet soda, but controlled studies haven't confirmed a link. If you think you react to aspartame--or if you have the rare disease PKU (phenylketonuria)--avoid it.

[A] Beta-Carotene. Coloring, nutrient. (Coffee creamer, margarine.)

It's an orange pigment that the body converts into vitamin A. In two studies, large doses of beta-carotene supplements increased the risk of lung cancer in smokers ... and didn't reduce cancer risk in non-smokers. Smokers shouldn't take high-dose beta-carotene supplements, but the small amounts added to food are safe.

[C] Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO). Clouding agent, emulsifier. (Soft drinks.)

It's occasionally used to keep flavor oils in suspension and give a cloudy appearance to citrus-flavored soft drinks. Small residues of BVO remain in body fat, but it's unclear whether they pose any risk.

[C] Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA). Antioxidant. (Cereal packaging, chewing gum, oil, potato chips.)

It retards rancidity in fats, oils, and foods that contain oil. While most research indicates that BHA is safe, it increased the risk of cancer in some rat studies.

[C] Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT). Antioxidant. (Cereal chewing gum, oil, potato chips.)

It keeps oils from going rancid. In some animal studies it increased the risk of cancer; in others it decreased the risk.

[B][D] Caffeine. Flavoring, stimulant. (Added to soft drinks and water. Naturally occurring in cocoa, coffee, coffee-flavored yogurt and frozen desserts, tea.)

It's mildly addictive and can cause insomnia and jitteriness. Many coffee drinkers experience headaches, irritability, sleepiness, and other withdrawal symptoms when they go cold turkey. Because caffeine increases the risk of miscarriages (and possibly birth defects) and inhibits fetal growth, women who are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant should avoid it. Caffeine also may make it harder to get pregnant.