High Blood Pressure due to HFCS, a Commonly-found Food Additive

A University of Colorado study found that even people who eat a healthy, low-sodium diet may be at risk of high blood pressure due to a commonly-found food additive. High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is found in almost all processed, prepared, or packaged foods, was shown to increase blood pressure by up to 32%.

According to the study, HFCS causes inflammation in the bloodstream which causes the blood vessel walls to tighten, resulting in blood pressure increases. Even people who ate a healthy diet with periodic ingestion of HFCS experienced the blood pressure increase.

While HFCS can be listed as corn syrup, fructose, high fructose sweetener, natural sweetener, or other type of sweetener on the label of foods, it is still the same health-damaging sweetener. Even foods that claim to be “natural” can include HFCS. Only fresh whole foods or foods that are labeled “100% organic” are devoid of HFCS.

It can be found in almost any foods but is common in most types of soda, and processed foods labeled “low-fat” or “non-fat”. Most food manufacturers add high-fructose corn syrup to add flavor when they make fat-reduced foods and HFCS happens to be extremely cheap.

Some surprising sources of HFCS include:

- Yogurt

- Baby Food

- Granola and Granola Bars

- Cereal (even so-called healthy cereals or cereals intended for children)

- Salad dressing

- Condiments

- Crackers

There’s another problem with HFCS: most corn and corn-derived foods on the market are made with genetically-modified (GM) corn. While there still isn’t much testing on the effects of consuming GM-foods (and certainly no long-term tests), early tests show many negative health consequences.

While high-fructose corn-syrup contains fructose, there’s no reason to be concerned about eating fructose as it is found in fresh fruits. Research shows that consuming fruit does not negatively impact blood pressure, and may even improve it.

Originally Posted: About Additive

How to Eat Healthier? Let's talk about Food Additive too

Guide: Oxidation (b) benzoyl, with an appearance of white or light yellow and shaped in thin cone, as well as tastes slightly bitter just like bitter almond. Oxidation (b) benzoyl is a strong oxidizer, unstable, combustible. Oxidation (b) benzoyl can play the role of bleaching and antiseptic on flour. And at the same time, calcium peroxide (a type of food additive) can also be used as a preservative.




The Ministry of Health is asking public opinion on a proposed ban on two flour whitening agents.

There has been public concern over the safety of the two food additives: benzoyl peroxide and calcium peroxide.

The ministry will seek public input until Dec 30. But an ongoing online poll by sina.com has shown that more than 90 percent of the 31 thousand respondents supported the ban.

Zhu Yi, associate professor at the Nutrition Engineering Institute at China Agricultural University says the two bleaching agents may pose health risks.

"Benzoyl peroxide and calcium peroxide are the main components of the bleaching agents. Benzoyl peroxide can create sodium benzoate during manufacturing process. This is an antiseptic and is confirmed to harmful to the liver. Plus, benzoyl peroxide is a medicine to treat skin disease. According to related laws, medicine is not allowed in food. In this aspect, it's inappropriate to use the additives. The oxidants could also damage flour's nutrients, such as beta-carotene."

Zhu Yi says, in some developed countries, food additives like benzoyl peroxide and calcium peroxide are allowed within limits.

"Benzoyl peroxide is banned in EU countries. But the US haven't put limits on using it. In Canada, there is a limit, about 150 milligram per kilogram. In China, the limit is 60 milligram per kilogram, lower than the standard. However, it's hard to make the dose equally distributed in products especially for some small- and medium-sized flour companies in rural areas. Those companies may easily overuse this additive. So, banning it is a reasonable choice."

Zhu Yi adds if more consumers prefer choosing the foods' original color and flavor, rather than buying something that looks neat and pretty, the food enterprises will have less incentive to use food additives.

Originally Posted: About Additive

EU Expert: Probiotic Yogurt is Not Good for Intestinal Health

Probiotic yoghurt drinks and supplements don’t live up to their promises, according to an EU watchdog. They claim to boost your immune system and help digestion. It concluded there is no scientific proof that products such as Yakult have any health benefits at all.

The watchdog dismissed more than 800 claims regarding the increasingly popular probiotic drinks, yoghurts and whey proteins, vitamins, supplements, ruling that suggestions the products could strengthen the body’s natural defences and reduce gut problems were either too general or could not be proven.

The supposed health benefits of probiotic goods enable manufacturers to sell them at much higher prices than normal yoghurts and milkshakes.

Earlier this year, the Advertising Standards Authority watchdog banned a TV advert for Actimel, manufactured by Danone, which suggested it stopped children falling ill. It ruled that the promotion was ‘misleading’ and its claim that the drink was ‘scientifically proven to help support your kids’ defences’ was not supported.

Danone has subsequently dropped most of its claims that Activia yoghurts and Actimel drinks boost the immune system. But other probiotic firms claim the European watchdog has been unnecessarily rigorous.

Last night, Yakult issued a statement saying the rejected claim was just one aspect of its research. A spokesman added: ‘The claim was supported by well-designed, double-blind, placebo-controlled human studies.‘In response to the EFSA opinion, the company wishes to discuss the evaluation process and this outcome with EFSA.‘With the benefit of further guidance, the company anticipates a positive EFSA opinion in due course.’

Originally Posted: About Additive

EFSA Intend to Re-evaluate the Safety of Canthaxanthin as a Food Additive

According to Flex-news reported that recently, the European Commission announced that the Panel on Food Additives and Nutritional Assessment at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) should re-valuate the safety of Canthaxanthin (E161g) as a food pigments, and publish the evaluation results on this food additive. In addition, the Commission also requested that the evaluation result should established based on the original assessment result.


It is understood that the United Nations Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) / World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) had already evaluated the safety of Canthaxanthin (E161g) in 1974, 1987 and 1995 respectively, and the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) also had evaluated the safety of Canthaxanthin (E161g) in 1983, 1987 and 1997 respectively, upon the assessment on this food additive by these two committee, the daily intake (ADI) of Canthaxanthin (E161g) has been determined to be 0.03 mg / kg .

Remark:

Canthaxanthin (E161g) is a kind of food pigment as carotenoid, which was mainly composed of β-carotene -4,4 '-dione, and a small amount of other carotenoids. Most of EU authorities has already approved the substance as a food additive, as a food additive used in Saucissede Strasbourg, and the maximum daily intake is 15 mg / kg. Currently, this substance has also been approved as a animal feed additive by the EU.

Originally Posted: About Additive

European Food Safety Authority: Bisphenol A is Safe to Human

(Brussels, AFP) European Food Safety Authority announced on 5 October that Bisphenol A, which was widely used in the manufacturing of baby’s feeding bottles and other plastic containers is not harmful to human health.

The scientific team under European Food Safety Authority said they "found no new evidence that can leading to change recommendations on "the tolerable daily intake of bisphenol A”. The EFSA recommended that as long as the intake quantity is as no more than the limit of 0.05 mg / kg body weight, bisphenol A is safe, it will not cause harm to human’s body.

Bisphenol A is widely used in polycarbonate plastics manufacturing industry as a plastic additive, which includes inner coatings of plastic baby bottles and metal cans. As for there are suspicion on bisphenol A may be harmful to human health, the French have banned the sale of baby bottles containing Bisphenol A and other similar chemicals, while Denmark banned the use of Bisphenol A in manufacturing materials will be touched by children food from 0 to 3 years.

Originally Posted: About Additive

UK Food Safety Authority Called for More Studies on The Safety of Food Additives

Recently, the British Food Safety Authority appealed to the food industry, called for studies on food additives, E. coli O157 and consumer attitudes toward this, and to take relevant measures to arouse people’s concern on the food safety, thus to ensure food safety.

The first study was aimed to promote the public's attitude to food safety and related activities. Through the analysis of existing data to find and make sure the deficiency of the available evidence, to promote understanding and development of food and social awareness.

The second project of the authority is to develop a new method of detecting additives contained in foods, which include saccharin, aspartic acid phenylalanine methyl ester, chloral saccharose and other food additives. The method will be applied with analysis of the general level of food additive using, thus to ensure its safe use.

The last project is commissioned by the Scottish Food Standards Agency, jointly by the FSA and Defra. The aim is to use the existing methods to control the transmission of E. coli O157, which will help to reduce the spread of cattle pathogens to other animals, thereby reducing the risk of people infection.

Originally Posted: About Additive