Something that was really difficult when I was first starting the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) diet was reading labels. The small fine print on the back of a can or tucked under a wrapper fold can be so annoying to find, let alone read, yet is so critical for good gut health. If you don't know about gut health, check out my article "What is AIP?" for more information.
Preservatives are defined by Sergen's Medical Dictionary as, "any of a group of chemical preservatives that the FDA classifies as GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) food additives, a category first conceptualized in the 1958 Amendment to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. GRAS preservatives include antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propylparaben, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, benzoic acid, stannous chloride, and others."
If that definition doesn't at least alarm you, I don't know what will! I think what gets me about that definition is the idea of 'generally regarded as safe'. To me, that definition is extremely vague. The FDAs website is also vague in describing what a GRAS is, yet there are hundreds of affiliated links talking about how GRASs came to be legalized and how to properly disclose them on the 'nutritional value' section of your food label.
Despite this definition being a little hazy, a few things are for sure, food preservatives usually have little to no nutritional value, are not usually found naturally, and mostly aimed at extending shelf-life. Most importantly though, there is not research being done establishing the long term effects of these preservatives and how they affect humans, specifically in the gut.
I quickly searched the internet for scholarly articles and studies done on how these preservatives affect our body, and unfortunately there are not many studies being done. The recent studies, articles, and abstracts (2011 and sooner) that I could find and skim through, were all quite bleak or ominous.
A study done in 2017 at The University of Massachusetts Amherst found that mice's microbiomes (gut bacteria that is critical to our well-being) were altered after being fed a polylysine compound.
Another study found that compared to a more hunter and gatherer diet found in Africa, low-fat Western diets resulted in homogenous DNA.
The third study I read found that Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Benzoate resulted in genotoxicity. Genotoxicity is the mutation of our DNA and RNA. This study found these preservatives impacted our lymphocytes specifically.
The fourth study I read found that Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, and Sorbic Acid reduced the production of enzymes in the pancreas by 50%.
These are just some examples of why you should always read a label and understand what you are putting into your body. No one else is going to love and care for your body as much as you can. It is a big responsibility, one that is so critical to living and embracing a healthful lifestyle.
For those with autoimmune diseases, these GRASs can trigger flare-ups or pseudo-attacks, and for the general population, can lead to bad gut health. So next time that you are out shopping, please, please, please, read what is on your labels and google the things that you do not know, you may be surprised at what you find. Some foods that you think are 'simple,' like certain brands of almond milk or some brands of dried fruits, actually have preservatives in them. I personally use Malk almond milk because its ingredients are only almonds, water, and salt, and Wholesome Pantry for most of my dried fruits. Check out my Product Recommendations page for an ever-growing list of my favorite all-natural brands and products!
Now, I am no expert, I have no degree in nutritional science. I am simply compiling some quick and dirty research that I found, and believe in, to share with you. If you want more information, please do research on your own or talk to a healthcare professional.
References:
food preservative. (n.d.) Segen's Medical Dictionary. (2011). Retrieved January 20 2019 from https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/food+preservative
Tracking Effects of a Food Preservative on the Gut Microbiome. (2017, December 18). Retrieved from https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/tracking-effects-food-preservative-gut
Segata, Nicole. (2015). Gut Microbiome: Westernization and the Disappearance of Intestinal Diversity. Current Biology, 25(14), pp. R611-R613.
Zengin, N. Yuzbasioglu, D. Unal, F. Yilmaz, S. Aksoy, H. (2011). The evaluation of the genotoxicity of two food preservatives: Sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 49(4), 763-769.
Esimbekova, E. Asanova, A. Deeva, A. Kratasyuk, V. (2017). Inhibition effect of food preservatives on endoproteinases. Food Chemistry, 235, 294-297.
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