aspartame & MSG what they in combination

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http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,1671821,00.html

 

 

 

*Combining

food additives may be harmful, say researchers*

 

*·*

Aspartame and artificial colourings investigated

*·*

Mice nerve cells stopped growing in experiments

 

*Felicity

Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent*

*Wednesday

December 21, 2005*

 

*Guardian*

 

New

research on common food additives, including the controversial

sweetener

aspartame and food colourings, suggests they may interact to

interfere

with the development of the nervous system.

 

Researchers

at the University of Liverpool examined the toxic effects on

nerve

cells in the laboratory of using a combination of four common food

additives

- aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and the artificial

colourings

brilliant blue and quinoline yellow. The findings of their

two-year

study were published last week in the journal Toxicological

Sciences.

 

The

Liverpool team reported that when mouse nerve cells were exposed to

MSG and

brilliant blue or aspartame and quinoline yellow in laboratory

conditions,

combined in concentrations that theoretically reflect the

compound

that enters the bloodstream after a typical children's snack

and

drink, the additives stopped the nerve cells growing and interfered

with

proper signalling systems.

 

The

mixtures of the additives had a much more potent effect on nerve

cells

than each additive on its own.

 

The

study reported that the effect on cells could be up to four times

greater

when brilliant blue and MSG were combined, and up to seven times

greater

when quinoline yellow and aspartame were combined, than when the

additives

were applied on their own. " The results indicate that both

combinations

are potentially more toxic than might be predicted from the

sum of

their individual compounds, " the researchers concluded.

 

The

tests used are the same as those applied when testing combinations

of

pesticides for toxicity. " They are recognised as predictive of

developmental

outcomes in humans, " said Vyvyan Howard, a

toxicopathologist

and expert in foetal development who led the study.

 

Exposure

to food additives during a child's development has been

associated

with behavioural problems such as attention deficit

hyperactivity

disorder.

 

Additives

are licensed for use one at a time, but the study's authors

believe

that examining their effect in combinations gives a more

accurate

picture of how they are consumed in the modern diet.

 

" Although

the use of single food additives is believed to be relatively

safe in

terms of development of the nervous system, their combined

effects

are unclear, " Professor Howard said. " We think there are signs

that

when you mix additives, the effect might be worse. "

 

The

colours used in the research are synthetic dyes certified as safe

food

additives in the EU. However, brilliant blue (E133) has been banned

in

several European countries in the past. Quinoline yellow (E104) is

banned

in foods in Australia, Norway and the US. Previous research has

shown

that MSG (E621) and aspartic acid, one of the breakdown compounds

in

aspartame (E951), are neurotoxins, according to the authors of the study.

 

Brilliant

blue is found in sweets, some processed peas, some soft drinks

and

some confectionery, desserts and ices. Quinoline yellow is found in

some

smoked haddock, some confectionery and some pickles. MSG, which is

banned

in foods for young children, is found in some pasta with sauce

products,

a large number of crisps, processed cheese, and prepared

meals.

Aspartame is found in diet drinks, some sweets, desserts and

medicines.

 

The

Food Standards Agency said it would need further details and

clarification

on the research before making a full assessment. " All of

the

additives included in the study are permitted for use in food under

current

EU legislation following a rigorous safety assessment, " it said

in a

statement. The agency added it was funding research on the effects

of

mixtures of colourings on children's behaviour and kept the safety of

additives

under review.

 

Speaking

for manufacturers, the Food and Drink Federation said the

additives

in the study had all been approved as safe by the EU's expert

scientific

committee.

 

The

Aspartame Information Service, which represents the sweetener

industry,

dismissed the research, saying that it " did not provide any

meaningful

information " because it exposed mouse cells in the laboratory

to

undigested aspartame. " When we consume aspartame it is broken down in

the

digestive system to common dietary components. Aspartame has been in

safe

use for 25 years and has been reviewed and approved by more than

130

countries, " it said.

 

EducationGuardian.co.uk

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005

 

 

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