Q1
For the purpose of the paper five additive found in food were chosen. The chosen food additives belong to different types of additives. First picked was corn syrup, which was chosen since it is usually the additive added in soft drinks, which are being consumed in large quantities especially in the United States. The additive belongs to the group of sweeteners. It can be found in processed food, sweets, non-diet drinks, cereals, breads, pastries, candies, cookies, cakes, syrups, crackers, fruits, vegetables, ice creams, meat, salad dressings, sauces, snacks, and soups. The high-fructose corn syrup has been correlated with the issues of obesity, effects on energy-regulating hormones and metabolic substrates. It is assumed that corn syrup has the same health impacts as sucrose (Rippe, Lowndes & Yu, 2013). Further on, it increases the risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and dyslipidemia. It also accelerates ageing and causes insulin resistance, diabetes, chronic diarrhea and others (Benedito, JC & K, 2017).
Second chosen food additives are sulfates (E220-E227), which are used as antioxidants and as food fresheners in order to control the microbial growth in beverages. They can be found in food and drinks and can be present as sulfur dioxide, sodium sulfite, sodium or potassium met bisulfite or others. They can be found in potatoes, grapes, shrimp, and beer, wine, dried apricots, dried food, frozen French fries, seafood, jelly, fruit juices and others. They have various different adverse reactions such as asthmatic attacks, anaphylaxis, abdominal pain, urticarial and angioedema rhino conjunctivitis, seizures or even death (Tarlo & Sussman, 1993).
Following with the monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a flavoring food additive ranked in the group of flavoring. It can occur naturally or artificially and is an ingredient found in savory foods. The additive has been correlated to headache, urticarial and angioedema, asthma, rhinitis, and psychiatric disorders. Food which contains natural or the added levels of MSG can be found in seafood such as fish sauce, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, spinach, crisps, savory snacks, soups, stock, gravy, rubs, coatings, ready-meals, soy sauce, black bean sauce, miso, marmite, instant rice and noddle dishes (Meyer et al. 2015). It is used in many snacks and fast foods and has been correlated with the migraine headaches and craniofacial muscle sensitivity as well as systolic blood pressure (Baad-Hansen et al., 2013). It is very widespread and used in the majority of processed foods worldwide. Further on it has been proven by various studies that the MSG is associated with the overweight development (De et al. 2011).
The FD&C Blue No. 1 named brilliant blue FCF is one of the food additives used in the group of artificial colors. It is approved by the Food and Drug administration, and is the most common dyes used in food, cosmetics and medicine. It can be found in dairy products, and candies, cereals, cheese, toppings, liquors, jellies as well as in the soft drinks. It has been correlated with the skin irritations, bronchial constriction in cases when combined with other dyes and high hemotoxic properties. It is correlated with hyperactivity as well as possible causing of tumors examined on animals (Faria et al., 2016).
The last chosen food additives are benzoates (E210-E219), which are preservative additives and can be ranked among the stabilizers which can preserve the structure of the food. It can be found in salad dressings, carbonated drinks, jams, fruit juices, soft drinks and beer. They have been linked with the childhood hyperactivity and can provoke urticarial, angioedema as well as asthma (Tuormaa, 1994).
Q2
Sucralose belongs to the category of non-nutrition sweeteners. The most common food sources of this additive can be found in a wide variety of more than thousands of food products. There has been demonstrated with research that sucralose affects the glycemic and hormonal responses to an oral glucose load in obese people who are not usually their consumers (Klein et al. 2013). It can be found in beverages, gelatins, puddings, fillings, nutrition products, syrups, sauces, toppings and others. The possible health implications of the sucralose intake have been mainly examined in animals and examined sample groups. It has been assumed that the sucralose based on the low-energy density can help to overcome the issue of sugar intake, but various researches have come to the opposite conclusion. Recent data and literature review based on the Swithers (2013) have shown that there is little evidence which would support the fact that the use of artificial sweetener products - ASB can help in reducing weight or prevent negative health outcomes such as T2D, metabolic syndrome or cardiovascular events. The results are of a high importance since with the acknowledging the negative impacts of the sugar on health many people as well as production of products turned towards the low-intensity sweeteners such as sucralose. The weight gain and obesity have been associated with the ASB intake as well as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It can stimulate appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, fat storage and weight gain, reduces the good bacteria, and affects glycoprotein as well as increase the blood sugar (Swither, 2013).
Q3:
One of the most important United States agencies, which can influence the nutrition policy, is Food and Drug Administration – FDA. It has the authority over the food safety standards. The main goals of the agency are to improve the nutrition and efficiency of production and distribution of food products. The agency is responsible for labeling and regulating the safety of food additives, processing and packing of food products. It is responsible for food recall, alerts, advice and investigations, inspections and observations. The main role is to protect the public health, safety and efficiency in area of drugs, biological products and medical devices, food supply and cosmetic products (FDA, n. d.).
There is a wide area of evidence of well-enforced policy for preventing conflicts of interest by the leaders of the FDA and those who serve the agency based on the supervision reviews (Department of Health and Human Services, 2006), as well as accepted measures, procedures and policies by the agency itself to avoid the conflict of interest. The agency uses outside experts. The use of Federal status applies to all employees serving the agency, regulations by the Office of Government Ethics and Department of Health and Human Services to ethical conduct. The agency has a special division which provides legal guidance. The employees and advisory are governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act and Agency established guidelines. There are various regulations which must be obliged such as 18 U.S.C. 2008 which prevents the members to participate in areas where they have a financial interest. The members of the committees are selected based on the professional, scientific and academic expertise. The Agency has specific standards for conflict of interest identified based on which the sole conflict is determined (Eastern Research Group and Food and Drug Administration, 2007). What is more, the concerns regarding that conflict led to biases in favor of drug company interests have been diminished with the report from 2015 (Law & Economics Center, 2015), which showed no statistically measurable impact on the probability that an expert advisory committees’ decision is contrary to that of the FDA.
References
Baad-Hansen, Cairns, E. Brain, Pedersen, Lynge Anne Marie, Shimada, Akiko, Svensson, Peterm, Ulriksen, Kathrine, Vad, Nynne. (2013). Headache and Mechanical Sensitization of Human Pericranial Muscles After Repeated Intake of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). Journal Headache pain 14(1): 2. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3606962/
Benedito, VA, JC, Tou & K. Mock. (2017). High-Fructose Corn Syrup-55 Consumption Alters Lipid Metabolism and Promotes Triglyceride Accumulation. Journal Nutr Biochem. 39: 32-93. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27768909
De, Shifa, He, Ka, Popkin, Barry, Sharma, Sangitia, Shufa, Du,Zhai, Fenying, Wang, Huijun. (2011). Consumption of Monosodium Glutamate in Relation to Incidence of Overweight in Chinese Adults: China Health and Nutrition Survey. American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition., 93(6): 1328-1336. Available at: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/93/6/1328.
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Faria, Robson Xavier, Ferreira, Leonardo Gomes Braga, Ferriera, Natalie Carla da Silva, Soarse-Bezerra, Romulo Jose. (2016). International Journal of Food Science. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5090090/
FDA. (N. d.). Available at: http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/.
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Law & Economics Center. (2015). Searle Civil Justice Institute FDA Advisory Committees: Conflicts of Interest and Voting Relative to Benchmarks. Available at: http://masonlec.org/site/rte_uploads/files/SCJI/SCJI%20Report,%20FDA%20Advisor y%20Committees%20Phase%20II,%20January%202015.pdf
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