Preservatives in food: effects on the body. Video
Not all food that ends up on the plate is safe for health. Even if the products themselves are of high quality and environmentally friendly, the threat may come from the artificial preservatives they contain.
Preservatives are so widespread that it is much easier to list foods that have no preservatives than those that do. The use of preservatives has not begun today, but before their functions were performed by natural substances. With the development of technology, natural preservatives have been replaced by their artificial counterparts, which are various chemical additives.
In the past, substances such as vinegar or lactic acid were used as preservatives.
Of course, manufacturers use preservatives not to deliberately undermine the health of consumers, but only to extend the life of their products. It’s all about the valuable ability of preservatives to kill bacteria that spoil food and make it unusable.
Without preservatives, products would spoil much faster, which would exclude the possibility of their long-term storage or transportation to remote corners of the world
Nevertheless, the harmfulness of additives that are used as preservatives for the human body has long been known not only to scientists, but also thus to unscrupulous manufacturers who are not too concerned about the safety of their customers.
Why preservatives are dangerous to humans
The extent of harm done by preservatives can vary widely depending on the specific chemical. The most harmful food additives can provoke the appearance of such serious ailments as asthma, kidney stones, and even cancer.
The list of food additives that should not be consumed in any case include the following preservatives:
- E 216
- E 217
- E 239
- formaldehyde (E 240)
Less harmful preservatives may not even cause noticeable harm to health, but their danger will increase manifold if they interact with each other. In this case, they can turn into a completely different substance, extremely unfavorable to health.
There are no completely safe artificial preservatives, so they must be used with great care, and it is better to refuse altogether.
If you cannot completely eliminate foods with preservatives, make sure that your food does not contain the most harmful of them, such as formaldehyde. And besides, try to buy those products in which there are very few preservatives. If there is a whole list of these additives in the product you like, there is a danger that they will interact with each other and their danger will increase significantly.