Top 16 chilling food additives

[CHRISTINA]

(NaturalNews)  The FDA keeps a list of over 700 food additives that are generally recognized as  safe, or GRAS. These additives serve quite a variety of purposes, including  preserving food, adding sweetness, color, texture or flavor, controlling pH,  anticaking, stabling, leveling and firming, and the list goes on. The FDA does  not, however, advertise the fact that many of these additive have  never been tested. To make matters worse, the agency allows the use of  substances that are known to be harmful. How is this  possible?
According to the FDA, the additives that have been proven to be  toxic are only used at a "level of 1/100th of the amount that is considered  harmful." Does that make you feel any better? It shouldn't, considering that  they've approved the use of several food additives - that at the time were GRAS  - that were later banned, because they were found to be extremely toxic. As an  example, cyclamate was a popular artificial sweetener used in the 50s and 60s  that was later banned after it was linked to cancer.
Even assuming that  these chemicals are safe at the "1/100" level that the FDA allows, there is one  very important aspect not accounted for. People are not exposed to a single  chemical at a time; we are exposed to many.
According to the Body  Burden website, "Scientists estimate that everyone alive today carries  within his or her body at least 700 contaminants, most of which have not been  well studied." In addition, they note that "no one is ever exposed to a single  chemical, but to a chemical soup, the ingredients of which may interact to cause  unpredictable health effects."

16 of the most dangerous food additives

1. Artificial sweeteners  - Popular varieties include aspartame and saccharin; aspartame is a neurotoxin  linked to lower IQ, brain tumors, MS, fatigue and fibromyalgia; saccharin is  linked to weight gain and bladder tumors in rats.
2. Potassium  bromate - Increases volume in baked goods; known to cause cancer in animals;  small amount may be dangerous to humans; banned in Europe, Canada and  China.
3. Olestra - Fat substitute; causes diarrhea and interferes  with the body's ability to absorb vital nutrients; banned in the UK and  Canada.
4. Brominated vegetable oil - Helps retains flavor in  soda; accumulates in the body  and causes memory and nerve problems; banned in 100 countries
5. Caramel coloring - Coloring agent; sometimes made with ammonia;  classified as "known to cause cancer" in California.
6. Monosodium  glutamate (MSG) - Flavor enhancer; linked to headaches, nausea and  obesity.
7. High fructose corn syrup - Sweetener; number one  source of calories in the US; raises LDL and contributes to diabetes.
8. Parabens - Used to prevent yeast and mold; may disrupt hormonal balance;  linked to lower sperm count and testosterone production in rats; found in breast  cancer tissue.
9. Sulfer dioxide - Preservative; destroys vitamins  B1 and E; linked to bronchial problems.
10. Butylated hydroxyanisole  (BHA) and butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) - Preservatives; form  cancer-causing compounds once inside the body; banned in parts of Europe and  Japan.
11. Sodium nitrate/sodium nitrite - Preservatives; highly  carcinogenic once inside the body; particularly toxic to the liver and  pancreas.
12. Sodium sulfite - Preservative; linked to asthma,  headaches, breathing problems and rashes.
13. Partially hydrogenated  vegetable oil - Multipurpose preservative and solidifying agent; lowers good  cholesterol, increases bad cholesterol and the risk for heart attack, stroke and  diabetes.
14. Azodicarbonamide - Flour bleaching agent; linked to  asthma; banned in Australia, the U.K. and Europe.
15. Food dyes -  Varieties include Blue #1 and #2, Red #3 and #40 and Yellow #6; linked to  behavioral problems and lower IQ in children and cancer in animal  studies
16. Indirect food  additives - Substances not directly added to food that still end up in  the final product; plastics and other packaging that come into contact with  food; substances in animal feed including pesticides, antibiotics and heavy  metals (including arsenic) and synthetic hormones injected into  animals.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.fda.gov
http://www.nlm.nih.gov
http://foodmatters.tv
http://eatthis.menshealth.com
http://www.sustainabletable.org
http://www.chemicalbodyburden.org
About the  author: See more health news articles by John  McKiernan at The Holistic  Truth
Learn more:  http://www.naturalnews.com/042788_food_additives_harmful_substances...