Omnipresent in our food, they are now being singled out.
Among the 320 food additives authorized in France and the flood of information circulating about them, it is difficult to know which ones are potentially harmful to our health. Decryption with 3 additives to avoid.
Titanium dioxide: still in toothpastes
“When there is evidence that an additive is dangerous to health, its use may be limited, even to the point of being banned”reminds us Dr. Mathilde Touvier, director of the nutritional epidemiology research team (CRESS-EREN) at Inserm. “This is the case of E171 or titanium dioxide, which has been the subject of an official position.” Indeed, the use of titanium dioxide as a food additive has been banned since 2020 in France and 2022 in Europe. E171 is a white coloring and texturing agent that mainly comes in powder form, which we find mainly in confectionery, pastries and in certain ready meals. Experimental studies conducted on animals have highlighted the carcinogenic nature of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. This additive is likely to cause the appearance of precancerous cells in the colon. The use of titanium dioxide in food has therefore been banned. Its use remains authorized in pharmaceutical products and cosmetics, particularly toothpaste. For other additives, opinions pointing to potential health risks have recently been issued by national or international public health authorities. This is particularly the case for nitrites and aspartame.
Nitrites: cancer, diabetes and hypertension
“Concerning nitrites, ANSES (National Agency for Food Safety) now confirms the existence of an association with the risk of colorectal cancer”continues Dr. Mathilde Touvier. “The agency also specifies that other cancer risks are suspected, but that the available data do not yet allow us to conclude on the existence of a causal link.” Nitrites are used mainly in cold cuts and ham for their antimicrobial properties. We find them under the codes E249 and E250. “Nitrites are preservatives originally used to combat botulinum toxin, a potentially serious poison created by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum.”
Anses has analyzed the scientific publications published since the reference work of EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) in 2017 and IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) in 2018. Anses has in fact confirmed the existence of an association between the risk of colorectal cancer and exposure to nitrites (ingested through the consumption of processed meat or via the consumption of drinking water). “A sensitive issue with nitrites is that they have a possible interest for the health of the consumer. Their use for health is the subject of a real discussion: how to limit these carcinogenic compounds as much as possible without causing the consumer to incur microbiological risks or risks linked to oxidation processes? Beyond the risks of cancer, we also observed in the NutriNet-Santé study on more than 100,000 adults an association with the risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension”says Dr. Mathilde Touvier, principal investigator of the NutriNet-Santé nutritional epidemiology study. It is recommended to consume less than 150 grams of cold cuts per week.
Aspartame: Increased risk of cancer overall
Aspartame is a food additive that is part of the sweetener family. “Aspartame gives a sweet taste, but it is very low in calories. We find it in particular in diet sodas, sweeteners as well as in certain sweetened dairy products. In July 2023, aspartame was declared a possible carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization.” This chemical sugar-free sweetener is used in many food products as well as toothpastes and some pharmaceutical products such as chewable vitamins or cough drops. Potential health problems have also been revealed by the French study by Dr. Mathilde Touvier. The latter shows a link between higher consumption of aspartame and an increased risk of cancer overall, particularly breast cancer and obesity-related cancers, but also cerebrovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. To date, the ADI (acceptable daily intake) is set at 40 mg per kilogram of body weight per day for aspartame. This corresponds to approximately 9 to 14 cans of diet soda. However, in epidemiological studies (such as the NutriNet-Santé study), increased risks were observed from regular consumption of ½ to 1 can per day…
“Other work on food additives is underway, covering colourings, preservatives, emulsifiers, glutamate and additive mixtures. They will provide input for future re-evaluations of these additives by international bodies. Research is progressing and the example of these 3 additives (titanium dioxide, nitrites, aspartame) shows that when strong signals are detected through epidemiological and experimental studies, re-evaluations and changes to the regulations are possible.“, concludes Dr. Mathilde Touvier. Let us recall that the PNNS (national nutrition and health program) recommends that the population favor foods that are little or not processed. Thus, we avoid ultra-processed foods and cocktails of additives, the effects of which we do not know, as a precautionary principle.