July 23, 2015 – Tiny ingredients in certain foods are raising concerns amongst some scientists and food safety advocates.
These tiny additives often called nanoparticles, mostly used to make foods more visually appealing, have unknown effects on human health. Some studies suggest that consumption may cause inflammation of the digestive tract, damage DNA and damage cells. However, these studies were conducted on mice or in a laboratory, often using large amounts of particles that we wouldn't eat in real life.
Titanium dioxide, probably the most common nanoparticle in food, helps make candies like gummy bears opaque and enhances colours. However, it’s mostly used so as to add a superb whitening effect to foods like donut powder. It doesn't add any nutrients.
The FDA has classified titanium dioxide as “GRAS,” which is usually considered secure.
But food manufacturers and suppliers of titanium dioxide are introducing potential risks for no good reason, says Danielle Fugere, president and general counsel of As You Sow. The advocacy group promotes corporate environmental and social responsibility and urged Dunkin' Donuts to remove the ingredient. The company agreed to this originally of the 12 months.
“What are the advantages versus the possible disadvantages? The benefits are not particularly convincing,” says Fugere. “We can handle a slightly less bright donut.”
Concern about nanoparticles, like many other additives, points to a fundamental problem: Critics say ingredients should not adequately tested for safety before being added to processed foods.
We now eat more nanoparticles. According to at least one study, between 150 and 600 foods containing nanoparticles are available on the market, with lots of, maybe even hundreds more in development.
“We're still pretty far from fully understanding” the potential impacts, says Andrew Maynard, PhD, professor of environmental science and director of the Risk Science Center on the University of Michigan. “It hasn’t been studied enough.”
Georgios Pyrgiotakis, PhD, a research fellow on the Harvard School of Public Health, says their microscopic size can dramatically change the best way the particles move and interact with human cells.
They can go through the intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream, which might then trigger an inflammatory or immune response. They may also accumulate in various parts of the body, including the lungs, heart and reproductive organs, in addition to in individual cells, based on a 2014 review of scientific studies on nanoparticles.
Another study concluded that “taken [nanoparticles] They appear unlikely to cause acute or severe toxic effects at typical exposure levels, but more subtle or chronic effects require further investigation.”
So must you stop eating foods with titanium dioxide?
Pyrgiotakis says while researchers are still working on avoiding highly processed foods and reading labels if you’ve any concerns.
Maynard says the reply isn't easy. “But based on the most certain scientific evidence, there are not too many warning signs, although there are some concerns,” he says. “I never think twice about eating anything that contains titanium dioxide. And there are probably bigger health concerns than titanium dioxide from eating a lot of donuts.”