52 Small Changes for the Family by Brett Blumenthal

Author:Brett Blumenthal [Brett Blumenthal and Danielle Shea Tan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Published: 2019-03-20T16:00:00+00:00

WEEK 35

SKIP THE ADDITIVES

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

—MICHAEL POLLAN

THE MAJORITY OF packaged and premade foods contain food additives or added ingredients to preserve food, maintain appearance, and/or enhance flavor. Unfortunately, a growing body of evidence shows several commonly used food additives disrupt hormone levels, cause cancer and irreversible inflammation, alter mood and behavior, and induce developmental delays.1 For example, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), an additive used to stabilize fats in foods such as chips, baked goods, and nuts, has been labeled a likely carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program. Further, animal studies show that BHA harms reproductive organs and alters hormone levels.2 Another additive, propyl paraben, used as a preservative in foods such as baked goods, tortillas, and trail mixes, has been shown to lower testosterone and accelerate the growth of breast cancer cells and is linked to infertility in women.3,4,5

According to one study, at least a thousand food additives have made their way into our food supply without a thorough, objective evaluation of their safety by the FDA.6 Food and nutrition industry expert Marion Nestle explains how this terrifying conundrum came about: “In 1997, the FDA changed the approval process for food additives, shifting the burden of safety assessment from the FDA to food manufacturers themselves. Food manufacturers are now allowed to decide whether a new additive is generally regarded as safe (GRAS) for human consumption without even notifying the FDA.”7

DID YOU KNOW?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recognizes that artificial food coloring and sodium benzoate, a common preservative used in food and medicines, both cause hyperactivity in children. For many years, the AAP publicly expressed skepticism about the link between additives and the behavior of children. But in 2008, Alison Schonwald, M.D., director of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, wrote a scientific review on behalf of the AAP in which she stated that the AAP was wrong in its original evaluation of the data. The AAP now recognizes that there is an abundance of evidence showing neurobehavioral toxicity is caused by commonly used food additives.8

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