News about Food Additives from the BBC

[Guest guest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/medical_notes/466757.stm

 

Wednesday, 6 October, 1999, 12:56 GMT 13:56 UK

Food additives

 

 

The supermarket chain Iceland has banned all additives

 

The possible health risks of food additives are the subject of fierce

controversy.

Most food additives are considered safe.

 

All additives in the UK and Europe are controlled by law, and can

only be used following stringent tests and approval by an independent

committee of scientists and medical experts.

 

However, some scientists have linked additives - particularly

tartrazine or E102 - to hyperactivity in children, allergies, asthma,

migraines and even cancer.

 

The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) believes more research is

needed before any firm link is established between additives and

allergic reactions. But it does not rule out the possibility.

 

Sarah Schenker, a nutrition scientist for the BNF, said: " Some

additives, especially some of the colourants, have been linked with

hyperactivity in children, but the evidence is very ancedotal.

 

" There have been no properly controlled trials or tests looking at

the effect of additives.

 

" The public should not be worried about additives because they have

all been rigorously tested before they are allowed to be added to

foods. "

 

Dr Schenker said that if people noticed a reaction they should simply

cut the offending item out of their diet.

 

However, according to The Center for Science in the Public Interest

(CSPI), a US organisation that campaigns for food safety, many

additives should be avoided for health grounds.

 

Aspartame concern

 

The sugar substitute Aspartame is sold commercially as Equal and

Nutrasweet.

 

One out of 20,000 babies is born without the ability to metabolise

phenylalanine from any dietary source. Phenylalanine is a naturally

occurring essential amino acid found in all protein (including

mother's milk) and is one of the two amino acids in aspartame.

 

All children are screened for phenylketonuria at birth and any found

with it have to follow a strict diet for the rest of their lives,

controlling the amount of protein they consume.

 

There is some evidence to suggest toxic levels of this substance in

the blood can result in mental retardation.

 

Scientists are also investigating a possible link between aspartame

and changes in brain function.

 

People have reported dizziness, headaches, epileptic-like seizures,

and menstrual problems after consuming aspartame.

 

Other additives highlighted by the CSPI include:

 

 

Caffeine: linked to peptic ulcers, insomnia, nervousness and birth

defects.

 

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): linked to heaches, tightness in the

chest, and a burning sensation in the forearms and back of the head.

 

Nitrite and Nitrate: Meat preservatives that can form powerful cancer

causing chemicals when heated.

 

Saccharin: linked to cancer is laboratory animals.