As the scorching summer arrives, carbonated drinks enter their peak sales season. However, a recent study from the UK has poured a bucket of cold water on this trend—carbonated drinks containing sodium benzoate can cause serious damage to human cells and may eventually lead to diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's syndrome!
Reporters interviewed multiple authoritative medical and food research experts in Guangzhou and learned that sodium benzoate is currently widely used in the vast majority of beverage and food products in China. One expert stated: "Although each beverage is produced according to national standards, excessive cumulative intake of sodium benzoate is still harmful. It is recommended that adolescents try to eat less food containing this type of preservative." UK Latest Research: Carbonated Drinks Containing Sodium Benzoate Can Cause Cirrhosis
According to British media, scientists at the University of Sheffield in the UK have found that some carbonated drink products contain the preservative sodium benzoate, which causes serious damage to human cells and may eventually lead to diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's syndrome.
It is reported that sodium benzoate is extracted from benzoic acid and is a commonly used preservative. Peter Piper, an expert on aging at the University of Sheffield who has studied sodium benzoate for many years, discovered through testing its effect on live yeast cells that sodium benzoate damages a critical area of DNA—the mitochondria, the cell's "power station." "Mitochondria consume oxygen to provide energy for the body. If you damage it, the cell will suffer severe malfunctions. A large number of diseases are now linked to it—Parkinson's syndrome and numerous neurodegenerative diseases, but the first thing it causes is aging," said Piper. Piper advises parents to be cautious when purchasing drinks containing preservatives, "I am concerned about children who consume large quantities."
In 2000, the World Health Organization, after research, declared that sodium benzoate used as a preservative is safe. In response, Professor Piper stated that the experiments conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration are outdated. With the development of the times, stricter tests should be conducted. In fact, scientists have long suspected that sodium benzoate may induce cancer because, when mixed with vitamin C, an additive in carbonated drinks, it can form a carcinogen—benzene. Last year, a UK Food Standards Agency survey on benzene levels in drinks found that the benzene content in four brands of carbonated drinks was too high, and these brands were subsequently ordered to stop selling in the UK market. Guangzhou Carbonated Drink Market is Hot; Customers Question Research Results
Reporters found yesterday that the Guangzhou carbonated drink market has not been affected by this news, with various carbonated drinks still selling well. Supermarket sales staff stated that carbonated drink sales are increasing daily, while most citizens expressed surprise at the news.
In a RT-Mart supermarket in Tangxia, reporters found that many carbonated drink labels indicated they contained sodium benzoate, but none specified the exact amount. In several other supermarkets, reporters found that carbonated drinks were displayed prominently in freezers at the entrance and exits. Sales staff all stated that as the temperature rises, carbonated drink sales are climbing, "I haven't heard of any harm, and no customers have asked about this."
"Frozen carbonated drinks are the most thirst-quenching." Most customers said they are used to drinking soda. But almost no one interviewed knew that soda might be harmful to health, "I've been drinking this since I was a child and never felt there was a problem." Regarding the news of the latest research provided by the reporter, nearly 90% of the citizens interviewed said they did not quite believe it, "No way, I drink it every day. You say it might be harmful? Impossible!" Some citizens even questioned the reporter, "Soda isn't a new thing; it should have been thoroughly researched long ago, besides, foreigners love to drink it too." Only 10% of citizens said that the controversy over soda has always existed, and they rarely drink carbonated drinks. Some parents said, "Whether it's true or not, it's better for children to drink less." Carbonated Drinks
Carbonated drinks are soft drinks into which carbon dioxide gas is infused, commonly known as soda. According to China's classification standards for soft drinks, carbonated drinks are divided into: juice-type, fruit-flavored-type, cola-type, low-calorie-type, and other-type carbonated drinks. Sodium Benzoate
Currently, China has relevant standards for the content of the food additive sodium benzoate. According to the "Hygienic Standards for the Use of Food Additives" (implemented since 1997) issued by the Ministry of Health, as a preservative, the maximum usage of sodium benzoate in carbonated drinks is 0.2g/kg, a standard far higher than the limit for sodium benzoate in other foods such as wine and soft candies. Expert Viewpoint: Try to Eat Less Food Containing Sodium Benzoate
Professor Jiang Zhuoqin (Deputy Director of the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University; Head of Quality Control, Health Food Testing Center; Director of the Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health)
Sodium benzoate is a very common preservative used in all drinks like soda and juice, and the vast majority of foods such as cakes, preserved fruits, floss, and dried meat. Without sodium benzoate, microorganisms in food would grow and reproduce quickly, causing the food to spoil. However, sodium benzoate is not a nutrient, and as a synthetic preservative, eating too much of it is definitely harmful. Ten years ago, children and teenagers drank soda at most once a week, but now they drink it several times a day. Although each beverage is produced according to national standards, the cumulative intake of too much sodium benzoate is still harmful.
Jiang Zhuoqin stated that according to previous animal experiments, administering 2.7 grams of sodium benzoate per kilogram to a large white rat would cause half of the experimental rats to die. As for the problems caused by long-term, low-dose intake, further research is needed. However, Jiang Zhuoqin also said that the public does not need to be overly worried, as the human body has its own detoxification ability. In fact, the air we are exposed to every second is toxic, but it can be expelled from the body through metabolism.
Jiang Zhuoqin recommends that the public should try to eat less or even no processed foods and drinks containing sodium benzoate, and instead drink more tap water, purified water, mineral water, and milk, and consume less processed drinks like soda. Whether It Is Harmful to Health Still Needs to Be Proven
Professor Chen Yongquan (Standing Director of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology; Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Institute of Food Science; Professor, College of Food Science, South China Agricultural University)
It is true that some EU countries currently prohibit the addition of sodium benzoate in certain foods, but it is still permitted for use in China. It is a good thing to have new scientific research results on sodium benzoate, but it is currently just a claim that needs to be discussed by food experts at future international conferences and a consensus reached after experiments by scientists from various countries before a conclusion can be drawn. There were also experimental reports in the past that saccharin caused cancer in mice, but no scientist could repeat the results later, including the original scientist, and it could not be proven to cause cancer in humans. Therefore, countries like the US still allow the use of saccharin. Therefore, whether processed foods and drinks containing sodium benzoate are carcinogenic and harmful to health requires more scientific argumentation.
In addition, the report did not mention what dosage would cause damage to human health. The regulations for food additives are very strict in various countries. Within the legal limits, they are considered safe for the human body based on current knowledge. No Death Cases from Preservatives Have Been Reported
Dr. Liu Zhonglin (Neurologist, Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University)
Preservatives such as sodium benzoate are definitely harmful to the human body, so children should try not to eat foods containing preservatives. However, no death cases from preservatives have been found so far.
According to Liu Zhonglin, although the human kidneys have a detoxification function and can generally expel preservatives within a safe range in one or two days, long-term and simultaneous consumption of various foods containing the same type of preservative can also damage the human nervous system (causing diseases such as senile dementia, Parkinson's disease, and numbness in hands and feet, memory loss, peripheral neuritis), especially for teenagers whose nervous systems, liver, and kidney functions are not yet fully developed. They should especially stay away from such foods.