Soda Alert: Sodium Benzoate, A Preservative Used In Sodas, Found To Cause DNA Damage. Biology and Medicine Research from Sheffield University, U.K., into a common food and drink preservative suggests that it can damage DNA. Sodium benzoate, a mold inhibitor commonly found in Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, other soft drinks, pickles, and sauces, is the culprit. Peter Piper, professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, who has been working on sodium benzoate since 1999, tested sodium benzoate on living yeast cells. He was alarmed to find that it damaged their mitochondrias DNA. Concerned, Piper made his research public, telling British newspaper, The Independent, on Sunday, May 27: 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 consume the oxygen to give you energy, and if you damage it - as happens in a number of 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 - Parkinsons and quite a lot of neurodegenerative diseases, but above all, the whole process of aging. Sodium benzoate occurs naturally in cranberries, apples, milk products, cinnamon, and cloves. According to inchem.org, sodium benzoate occurring naturally in foods is about 40 mg/kg. Used as a preservative, it is about 2,000 mg/kg. Historically, benzoic acid came from a dry distillation of gum benzoin. Industrial preparation is now cheaply made from toluene. Sodium benzoate is made from benzoic acid. The studies the FDA lists are mainly rat and mice studies, which dont appear to show toxicity. Tests made on limited numbers of individuals showed no adverse effects from the 1960s to the 1980s, therefore sodium benzoate and benzoic acid are considered safe by the FDA. The Hyperactive Childrens Support Group of Great Britain takes exception to that and recommends the avoidance of both sodium benzoate and benzoic acid. Piper considers tests done by the FDA out of date. A short-term study on rats - feeding them 1,800 mg/kg of sodium benzoate/benzoic acid - produced central nervous system damage. Benzoic acid caused liver pathology and reduced weight. However, these studies are deemed inadequate to determine safety. The vitamin C (ascorbic acid) added to soft drinks reacts with sodium benzoate to make benzene, a known carcinogen and air pollutant. Louise Mccoy
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 17:53:34 +0000
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