Wait a minute...I CAN'T give up my addiction to ...I just can't!!



Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health
Expert links additive to cell damage

By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
The Independent, London, United Kingdom
Published: 27 May 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/article293866.ece

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.

Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.

Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.

He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

"The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) backs the use of sodium benzoate in the UK and it has been approved by the European Union but last night, MPs called for it to investigate urgently.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat chair of Parliament's all-party environment group said: "Many additives are relatively new and their long-term impact cannot be certain. This preservative clearly needs to be investigated further by the FSA."

A review of sodium benzoate by the World Health Organisation in 2000 concluded that it was safe, but it noted that the available science supporting its safety was "limited".

Professor Piper, whose work has been funded by a government research council, said tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration were out of date.

"The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are complete safe," he said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago."

He advised parents to think carefully about buying drinks with preservatives until the quantities in products were proved safe by new tests. "My concern is for children who are drinking large amounts," he said.

Coca-Cola and Britvic's Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi all contain sodium benzoate. Their makers and the British Soft Drinks Association said they entrusted the safety of additives to the Government.

Well that may explain alot..Ive been addicted to coca cola since I was 4 years old..Hopelessly addicted, except for the past 5 years or so maybe..I still drink soda, but Diet Moxie now because it is the closest diet soda that resembles coke that doesn't have the diet coke horrible after taste

Wow! That definitely would explain a lot!!
I used to be so addicted to soft drinks I'd have one
for breakfast!!

Now I am completely off of them except for an
occasional one when there is nothing else to drink.

This is an incentive to stay off of them!

Thanks
Mary

Did you know that it has been claimed that Coke and Pepsi can be used to clean your auto engine??? From what I have read, here, I would imagine it is the sodium benzoate "ingredient" that contributes to the "wonderful" engine cleaning aspect. I was not aware of the specific agent in Coke and Pepsi that renders it such a good engine-cleaning agent...but, just knowing about the claim that it is a good engine cleaner has been enough to deter me from drinking these sodas. I have never been a huge consumer of either of these sodas, but even if I had been, I just can't imagine ingesting anything that could clean my auto engine. Imagine what a cleaning job it would do on MY ENGINE!

Therese

Some years ago I was diagnosed with frequent, skipped heart beat. My doctor had no idea what was causing it. I suggested that my drinking habits may be the cause; I drank from 5 to 6 diet cokes per day. He suggested that I phase out the cokes. I did and the skipped heart beats went away.

All the best,


Lloyd

Well, it would explain alot with me.

During my teenage years and into my twenties I was known to drink 2 liters of Coca-Cola a day! (gulp!). Yes, I had a serious addition....

Now I'll have maybe one 20oz bottle a day...

But, isn't caffine suppose to be protective? I would hope maybe they cancelled each other out!

Oh well, not much I can do now...but I will think about giving up the habit completely...

God Bless Professor Piper at Sheffield University for his research on the dangers of sodium benzoate! I have a ten year old son who becomes extremely violent after consuming sodium benzoate, potassium benzoate, and benzoic acid. (Some shampoo and other hygienic products also contain this preservative) He used to take antipsychotic medication daily due to his outbursts until we eliminated this substance from his daily routine. Members on both sides of the family have brain disorders, so it was not out of the ordinary for us to assume he was affected by a mood disorder and needed medication to stabilize him. Unfortunately, the medications were not as successful for him as with other family members and stability was never reached-we were becoming increasingly concerned that we may have to institutionalize him in the future. I strongly encourage parents or other individuals to eliminate this ingredient form their children's diet if they are affected by a behavior disorder. It took approximately two days for his behavior to be notably improved, but the change was dramatic! We met a child we had only seen briefly in the past-a child with a big heart, very caring, a wonderful big brother-he no longer suffers from panic attacks, vomits, has regular nosebleeds, injures himself or others, or is angry or crying frequently. His only current medication is Omega-3, and an occasional 10 mg of Abilify (we suspect food colorings or perhaps another preservative brings forth the sporatic need for the Abilify) I hope others find this helpful-please spread the word to anyone you know who might benefit from my story!

Always read the label ...
Food additives have once again been linked to hyperactivity in children, and a new study says they could damage cell DNA. So which of the E-numbers are causing the most concern, asks Rosalind Ryan

Tuesday June 5, 2007
The Guardian
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/...d=networkfront

You would think we'd all be pretty well versed in the dangers of food additives by now. The British Nutrition Foundation, however, says most of us lack a "sufficient understanding", and last month called for better education. This campaign could not be more timely - Professor Peter Piper from Sheffield University has just issued a stark warning that certain compounds found in fizzy drinks could damage cell DNA, while a study into additives and their effect on children's behaviour is currently being conducted by the University of Southampton on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). It will be published in a few months, but a leaked report revealed certain colourings and additives could increase hyperactivity.

The leak coincided with a promise from Britain's major supermarkets to ban potentially dangerous additives from the majority of their own-brand products: Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Tesco will be additive-free by the end of the year.

A spokesperson for the FSA says, "All additives approved for use in this country undergo stringent tests and are safe for use. The health dangers are either non-existent or controlled by the safe levels within the food." But some experts fear that although additives may have been approved on an individual basis, we still don't know what their combined effect on the body may be. Professor Vyvyan Howard, a pathologist and professor of bioimaging at the University of Ulster, who has conducted research into the "cocktail" effects of food additives, says, "These chemicals are tested one at a time and declared safe one at a time, but we are exposed to a mixture of chemicals. Their combined effect could be more than simply adding two or three separate chemicals."

Both the FSA and experts raising awareness of additives agree that if you want to live an additive-free life, the easiest option is to eat food that is freshly prepared. But if you do buy processed food, it can't hurt to know exactly you are feeding your body.

E211 - sodium benzoate [definition]

Professor Piper discovered that E211, commonly found in soft drinks, pickles and sauces to prevent mould growing, could damage DNA. This could cause the same sort of liver damage seen in alcoholics, and is linked to neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Professor Piper's original laboratory research was published in 1999, but he is raising the issue again to highlight the need for modern safety tests. "Many of the tests on these chemicals were done 50 years ago when we simply did not know how to measure this kind of damage," he says. A review by the World Health Organisation in 2000 into sodium benzoate reported a vast number of studies showing people suffered from hives, asthma and anaphylactic shock after exposure to this additive.

E621 - monosodium glutamate

A flavour enhancer often associated with Chinese food, it's also found in canned and frozen foods, and snacks like crisps. A study by Hirosaki University in Japan in 2002 discovered eating a diet high in MSG could damage the retina, leading to loss of vision. Researchers said small amounts in the diet were OK but those with existing retina problems should be careful. The Migraine Trusts also lists MSG as a common migraine trigger and says many sufferers eliminate it from their diets. Last year, Professor Howard and a team of researchers from the University of Liverpool found MSG combined with other additives, such as brilliant blue food colouring, stopped nerve cells growing and disrupted brain-signalling systems.

E951 - aspartame

This controversial additive is 180 times sweeter than sugar and found in many sugar-free foods including soft drinks, cakes and dairy products. A number of reports have cast doubt on its safety and, even 20 years ago, there were concerns over its use. Dr Louis Elsas, a professor of genetics and paediatrics, testified before Congress in the US that aspartame could cause neurological damage in children and raised concerns over the additive passing from pregnant mothers to their unborn child, affecting brain development. However last year the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed it was safe to use.

E102 - tartrazine

This synthetic food dye gives many foods their bright yellow colouring. The FSA agrees that studies show E102 can cause hives, itchy skin or asthma in susceptible people. It is commonly linked to hyperactivity in children - research by the Hyperactive Children's Support Group in 1987 found that 87% of children who had been diagnosed as hyperactive also had adverse reactions to artificial colourings. A study by the University of Southampton in 2004 also found children consuming additives, including tartrazine, had higher levels of hyperactivity.

E104 - quinoline yellow

Another yellow dye, used to colour medicines, some soft drinks, Scotch eggs and smoked fish, this is banned in the US and Australia for its possible cancer-causing properties. Studies by the US National Toxicology Programme in 1997 found rats fed the colouring had higher rates of liver and kidney tumours. Professor Howard's team found that when E104 was combined with aspartame (many common soft drinks contain them both), the effect on nerve cells was up to seven times greater than when the additives were tested alone. The combined additives were not tested in vast quantities, but at concentrations that mimicked the amount in a child's bloodstream after eating foods containing these colourings. 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. Quinoline yellow is also being studied in the current University of Southampton trials.

E407 - carrageenan

A gelling agent extracted from seaweed by boiling, carrageenan can be found in ice cream and yoghurts, or as a fat substitute in some meat and soy products. Twenty-five years ago the International Agency for Research on Cancer said there was enough evidence from animal tests to class degraded carrageenan (a form of carrageenan that has been heated to very high temperatures and treated with acid to make it easier to use in other substances) as a potential cancer-causing agent to humans. Degraded carrageenan is not permitted for use in food, but a review of studies into carrageenan and cancer by the University of Iowa in 2001 found the un-degraded additive could become degraded in our digestive system, leading to an increased risk of cancers in the gut. Dr Joanne Tobacman, who conducted the review, said, "The widespread use of carrageenan in the western diet should be reconsidered."

E220 - sulphur dioxide

This preservative is commonly used in beer, wine, soft drinks and dried fruits to stop them fermenting. Asthmatics may suffer an attack after inhaling sulphur dioxide and it has also been linked to stomach upsets. An ongoing review by the WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives confirmed sulphur dioxide could destroy vitamin B1, so having a soft drink with your meal could wipe out its vitamin B1 content. The same review found that animal and lab tests revealed that consuming E220 could increase the amount of calcium lost by the body - raising your risk of the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis - and could cause DNA damage.

E124 - ponceau 4R

This red food colouring is often found in soft drinks, sweets and puddings, and is one of the additives currently being investigated for triggering hyperactivity. E124 has been banned in the US and Norway as a cancer-causing chemical. A study published in Toxicological Sciences in 2001 found there was a connection between the colouring and tumours in animals, but called for more conclusive research to be carried out. A review of food additives carried out by the FSA's committee on toxicity last year found ponceau 4R could have an effect on brain development in young children.