Health
Link*
Consumer Alert
Benzoate of Soda
aka Sodium Benzoate
The
Preservative in Diet Coke
Benzoate of Soda is a health risk.
Diet Coke will drop additive in DNA damage fear
By Colin Fernandez
May
26th - Diet Coke to drop additive in DNA damage fear. May be linked
to hyperactivity and DNA damage.
Coca-Cola is phasing out a controversial additive that has been
linked to damage to DNA and hyperactivity in children.
Sodium benzoate, also known as E211, is used to stop fizzy drinks
going moldy.
Coca-Cola said it had begun withdrawing the additive from Diet Coke
in January in response to consumer demand for more natural products.
By the end of the year no can or bottle will contain E211.
The company plans to remove it from its other products as soon as
possible, but said that at present it had not found a satisfactory
alternative to replace the additive in some soft drinks with a higher
juice content, including Fanta, Dr Pepper, Sprite and Oasis. The
chemical is not used in regular Coke.
While sodium benzoate occurs naturally in some fruits, it is used
in greater strengths by the soft drinks industry.
But research by Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology at
Sheffield University, found that the additive could switch off parts
of DNA, the genetic code in the cells of living creatures, that
could be linked to cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's disease.
However, the Government-backed Committee on Mutagenicity has dismissed
the research.
It argues that while sodium benzoate has been shown to be harmful
to yeast cells, human cells are stronger. (The questions to ask
here are, what about folks who consume large amounts of the chemical,
and even though human cells are stronger, how quickly can the body,
especially the liver, neutralize the toxicity, and over what time
frame? "... good health and sustained wellness is dependant
on the rapid removal of waste.")
Research by Southampton University found that sodium benzoate was
one of seven additives - the six others are food colors - that can
lead to hyperactivity in children.
The Food Standards Agency has called for the six colors to be withdrawn
from products but not sodium benzoate.
The Daily Mail has campaigned for a ban on harmful additives.
A Coca-Cola spokesman said: "We are continuously listening
to our consumers' thoughts about ingredients."
The firm stressed that E211 was approved as an additive by many
bodies around the world including the European Food Standards Agency.
*Consultation
with a health care professional should occur before applying adjustments
or treatments to the body, consuming medications or nutritional
supplements and before dieting, fasting or exercising. None of
these activities are herein presented as substitutes for competent
medical treatment.