From soft drinks to pickles, fruit purees, jams, pickled fish, olives, margarine, beer, fruit yogurts, and a wide variety of canned veggies, sodium benzoate is a widely used preservative that helps keep your favorite packaged foods and beverages fresh.
Added to everything from acidic condiments to carbonated refreshments, this common additive plays an important part in extending shelf life and maintaining the flavor of diverse products found on store shelves.
Although the FDA has long deemed sodium benzoate as safe, research suggests there may be hidden risks associated with its use. Further investigation is needed to explore these potential side effects and their consequences, but what’s known so far doesn’t look promising for general health.
For example, one study from 2004, conducted on 1874 children, revealed that a combination of sodium benzoate and artificial food coloring could be contributing to hyperactivity in preschool-aged children, as noticed by parents during the testing.
Another study from 2014 revealed an alarming correlation between ADHD symptoms and the consumption of sodas, energy drinks, and other beverages containing sodium benzoate. 475 college students reported increased levels of hyperactivity for each high-intake amount consumed.
What’s more, the chemical agent can convert to benzene when mixed with vitamin C. This could potentially be dangerous as benzene has been undoubtedly linked to cancer development.
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has officially classified benzene as dangerous to human health, with known links to a multitude of culinary exposures including food packaging materials, storage environments, and even contaminated drinking water.
Furthermore, this hazardous chemical can also be introduced into foods through less-known routes such as cooking processes or irradiation techniques – not to mention the degradation of other commonly used preservatives like benzoates.
Despite the perception that diet and sugar-free beverages are healthier, research has found them to be a major source of benzene. Carbonated drinks, especially the sugar-free variety, contain particularly high concentrations of this potentially carcinogenic chemical compound.
A study from 2003 uncovered truly shocking levels of benzene in some of our favorite foods, such as cola and cole slaw. The results show that the amount found was over 20 times greater than what is considered safe for drinking water by EPA standards.
Reducing your intake of sodium benzoate can be simple - just take a few extra seconds to look at the labels on food items. This way, you'll know whether or not what you're buying contains this compound commonly added as a preservative.
Everybody should be wary of consuming foods containing certain preservatives in general, but benzoic acid seems to be one of the worst ones out there.
We can all avoid it by eating fresh as much as possible and choosing natural homemade ingredients.
Curious about this crazy world?Get the appand hit the Big Red Follow button for more!
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0