The modern food industry has developed food additives that can mimic certain flavors and colors, provide longer shelf life, and help stabilize the chemical composition of foods. Unfortunately, many of these food additives also come with negative health effects. Consumers are generally unaware of the scientific research devoted to common types of food additives, but that is starting to change, thanks to organizations such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest, whose mission is to provide scientific evidence that supports or denies claims made by food companies about the ingredients and additives that go into their foods.
Artificial Sweeteners
Acesulfame-K is a sugar substitute that was shown to cause cancers in animal tests in the 1970s, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The FDA approved this chemical in 1998 despite any scientific evidence to prove it was safe. Aspartame is another sugar substitute, commonly sold under the commercial brand name "Equal." Aspartame was shown in animal tests in the 1970s to cause brain tumors. A followup study was conducted in 2007 by Italian researchers that reinforced the 1970s findings that this chemical causes cancer in lab animal tests. Saccharin, marketed as "Sweet'N Low," is another artificial sweetener that was linked to cancer in laboratory animal testing in the 1970s. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the FDA has stated that saccharin does not have the same effect in humans as it does in other animals, after being pressured by large food industry companies.
Nitrates and Nitrites
Sodium nitrate and nitrite are food additives used to color and preserve meats. Nitrates are harmless, but when they are converted into nitrites in the body they can form nitrosamines, which are cancer-causing chemicals. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, some studies have shown that eating cured meats and nitrites in children, pregnant women, and adults may make these groups to become more susceptible to certain types of cancer. It's important to note that these studies are still inconclusive and have not yet proven that eating foods with nitrite actually causes cancer in humans.
Olestra
Olestra is a food additive that acts as a calorie-free type of fat not absorbed by your digestive system. Olestra has an array of negative side effects, causing diarrhea, stomach cramps, and gas. Olestra can reduce your bodys ability to absorb certain healthy nutrients from fruits and vegetables, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Those nutrients are thought by many experts to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. The Harvard School of Public Health has stated that "the long-term consumption of olestra snack foods might therefore result in several thousand unnecessary deaths each year from lung and prostate cancers and heart disease, and hundreds of additional cases of blindness in the elderly due to macular degeneration. Besides contributing to disease, olestra causes diarrhea and other serious gastrointestinal problems, even at low doses."
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
BHA is a food additive commonly found in foods such as cereals, gum, potato chips, and vegetable oil. BHA has been shown to cause cancer in rats, mice, and hamsters; these studies, however, are controversial because the cancers were seen in the forestomach of the animals, which humans don't have. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, BHA is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen." The FDA still has approved the use of BHA as a food additive despite the research that proves it could be harmful.
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