How To Avoid The Most Unhealthy Food Additives

Doctors and nutritionists are forging a consensus on which foods are healthy and which are not, and the presence or absence of additives is an essential factor in distinguishing them. The latest studies put ultra- processed products that contain numerous added substances in the spotlight and classify them as products that we should avoid.

Not all additives are of equal concern to health. Some are natural substances that are part of the composition of fruits and vegetables; Isolated and added to a manufactured product do not present major problems.

But most are laboratory creations whose effects on the body must be closely monitored. So as we know more about them, more additive bans are produced.

How ultra-processed foods harm us

Ultra-processed foods, whether they contain natural or artificial additives, are generally considered potentially harmful. Recent research, published in the British Medical Journal, links them to obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and even cancer.

The consequences for consumers are, simply put, more illness and premature death.

The first study was carried out by French researchers using the data of 105,000 people. The results indicated that, for every 10% presence of ultra-processed foods in the diet, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, including heart and brain infarcts, increased by 10% .

Better whole foods

Mathilde Touvier, co-author of the study and a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Paris, thinks that the negative effects are due “to the wide variety of chemicals and additives found in these foods.”

Touvier suggests that instead of trying to improve the composition of foods by making ultra- processed, efforts should be directed at making whole, unprocessed foods more accessible and preferred by consumers.

The second study was carried out at the Hospital Universitario de Navarra with a cohort of 20,000 participants from 20 to 91 years of age. The overwhelming result indicated that those who consumed more than four ultra-processed foods per day increased their risk of dying by 62% during the study period compared to those who only ate two. Each serving of ultra-processed was estimated to increase risk by 18%.

Unrecognizable food

For Dr. Maira Bes-Rastrollo, first author of the study, “ultra-processed products are industrial formulations made from refined ingredients (sugar, starches, vegetable oils, salt) or synthesized (trans fats, hydrolyzed protein, additives), which do not contain no recognizable whole food. “

The NOVA classification system for food is based on this definition to determine the degree of processing. This internationally accepted system divides groceries into four groups:

1. Unprocessed or minimally processed: they are fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole cereals, etc.
2. Processed culinary ingredients: These are salt, sugar, vinegar, oil, or whole wheat flour produced by simple methods.
3. Processed foods: made up of two or three ingredients, with added sugar, salt or fat.
4. Ultra-processed foods: they are prepared to be consumed at the moment, rich in fats and added sugars, with additives to make them more attractive and little or no intact food as such.

They are hypercaloric

The list of ingredients in an ultra-processed product is usually long and often contains codes and names that no one except a food industry engineer can recognize.

But the mixture is designed to be very tasty, so much so that those who consume these products end up ingesting 500 calories a day more than people who choose whole foods.

The authors of the NOVA system draw attention to additives that are used to make a combination of cheap processed oils, refined sugars and starches attractive to the eye and palate.

New additives on the “black list”

• Emulsifiers, colorants, preservatives and flavor enhancers are the most problematic additives, but in recent months a type of additives that until now were considered relatively safe has been added: emulsifiers.
• They alter the microbiota. One of them is carboxymethylcellulose (E466), obtained from vegetable cellulose, which is used as a thickener and stabilizer in ice cream, gluten-free and low-fat foods. Research published in Nature concludes that “the wide use of emulsifying agents may contribute to the increasing incidence of obesity, metabolic syndrome and chronic inflammatory diseases”, because they alter the microbiota and intestinal permeability.
• Three new suspects. Other additives that have entered the list of the most worrying are calcium phosphates (E341), which increase the risk of osteoporosis and kidney and heart diseases; the E551 (silicon dioxide), that would inhibit the absorption of fat; and E171 (titanium dioxide), due to its impact on the microbiota, which would link it to autoimmune and neurological diseases, according to a study carried out at the University of Sydney. On the other hand, E171 in the form of nanoparticles has been banned in France since February 2019.

The additives of most concern

These additives are in addition to others that have been suspicious for years. The most worrisome of the 516 additives with code E allowed in the European Union are the following:

• E249 to E252 Nitrates and nitrites. These preservatives are added to meat products and contribute to its carcinogenic action, established by the World Health Organization in 2015.
• E310 Propyl gallate. It is used as a preservative in products with fat. It is carcinogenic in animal studies and could be an endocrine disruptor.
• E320 Butylhydroxyanisole (BHA). It is classified by the WHO as a possible carcinogen and by the EU as a potential endocrine disruptor. Butylhydroxytoluene (E321, BHT) is very similar.
• E104 Quinoline Yellow. Several dyes (E102, E104, E110, E122, E124, E127) are associated with childhood hyperactivity. The E104, E122 and E124 are banned in the USA and Norway.
• E339 Sodium ostophosphate. This and other phosphates (E338, E340, E341, E343, E450 to 452), are under review in the EU, which will probably reduce the allowed doses due to their association with kidney problems in children.
• E521 Sodium aluminum sulfate. This and other additives with aluminum are suspected of introducing this neurotoxic metal into the body, which could promote Alzheimer’s and other diseases, according to experts from the Environmental Working Group.

Additives that you will not find in the list

You can try to avoid these additives by taking a look at the ingredient list. However, there are substances that are part of the composition of processed foods that do not appear on the list.

They contain, for example, pollutants, such as pesticide residues and toxic heavy metals. They may also contain traces of solvents and other substances used in their production. We must add substances released from containers or industrial containers, such as bisphenol A, phthalates or perchlorate, all of them with hormonal effects.

On the other hand, under the heading “aromas” a group of different substances can be grouped that are not always harmless. In Europe the industry has 2,547 flavoring agents at its disposal.

Some include molecules that are carcinogenic or that contribute to hardening of the arteries or metabolic problems, according to the study by Dr. Changwei Li, published in the American Journal of Hypertension. The United States has recently banned seven flavoring substances.

Scientific references:

• Ultra-processed food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study (NutriNet-Santé)
• Consumption of ultra-processed foods and cancer risk: results from NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort
• Ultra-processed food and adverse health outcomes
• Association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and all cause mortality: SUN prospective cohort study
• Common food additive found to affect gut microbiota
• Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome