Harmful Effects Of Food Preservatives

A food preservative is a substance which is added to food to prevent its spoilage due to growth of microorganisms or to avoid undesirable chemical changes taking place in the food. The commonly used preservatives in food are sodium benzoate, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).

All the canned food like canned vegetables, bacon, ready-to-eat meals, crunchy chips and sodas from contain preservatives. These canned foods can cause severe health issues because of the higher percentage of preservatives used in them.

The harmful effects of food preservatives are well beyond our imagination. Food preservatives can produce side effects like weight gain to chronic heart and brain diseases.

The following are the harmful effects of food preservatives-

Cancer- Food additives affects the cells in the body which lead to formation of cancerous cells.

Heart Diseases- Processed or canned foods contain preservatives contain saturated fats and sugar in large amount, which is harmful for the heart.

Obesity- There are certain preservatives in foods which tempts us to eat more. Eating more than what is required by the body causes obesity. Obesity is a silent killer.

Stroke -Enormous amount of sodium and nitrate are used as preservatives in processed foods. This causes a rise in the blood pressure of our body which is can damage the blood vessels.

Infertility- The chemical preservatives are prepared in laboratories and thus Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMO) are in abundance in processed foods. This raises the risk of infertility.

Kidney Deterioration- A lot many food items contain phosphate additives which are added to enhance their taste and texture. The excess amount of these preservatives leads to many kidney disorders.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - Smoked and processed meat contains a higher percentage of nitrates which is a chemical preservative. This increases the risk of developing COPD, which can even take a life of a person.

Chronic Inflammation- One of the harmful effects of food preservatives is chronic inflammation which is responsible for causing respiratory and neurological problems.

Liver Diseases- Processed foods comprise of refined fructose, which directly goes to the liver and is deposited in the liver. This harms your liver as much as alcohol or other toxins do.

Rapid Ageing- Preservatives that contain phosphates are added to the food to enhance the taste, color and shelf-life of almost all the processed foods. These causes an early puberty in females.

Weak Bones- Processed foods containing phosphate also make your bones weak.

Alzheimer’s disease - Some artificial flavoring agents like diacetyl used in microwave popcorn may trigger Alzheimer's disease.

Gastrointestinal Disorders- The preservatives and additives used in canned foods will cause lead to development of various GIT disorders