Food Additives and Health Concerns in America Essay

A study conducted by Inetianbor, Yakubu and Ezeonu, (2015) defines food additives as those organic substances deliberately added to foods in minute quantities during the process of processing or production to provide an enhancement on their organoleptic quality. The intention of the additives ranges from improving the color of the foods to appearance, flavor, texture, and taste among other organoleptic quality attributes. In direct contrast, food preservatives, on the other hand, are used to enhance the shelf life of the foods. The preservatives limit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and their proliferation in a bit to reduce possibilities of spoilage or increase the duration it would take for the foods to spoil. Considering food preservation and additives reveals the use of substances in both adding to the foods to enhance their abilities, questions arise on the possible health concerns that America is exposed to in the quest to modify foods. Another study conducted by Pressman, Clemens, Hayes, and Reddy, (2017) reveals that food provides a significant level of exposure of humans to chemicals or toxicants. Therefore, despite the positive contribution that food additives have on the preservation of foods and enhancements in form of color, flavor, texture, and taste, they occur as possible toxicants that have significant health implications to the American population. In essay following, a discussion detailing the health risks and exposures of food additives is provided employing research materials in intensively assessing the subject of study.

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In a quest to enhance the nutritive value of foods, a significant number of additives in form or chemicals well beyond 2500 in number are added to foods to enhance their stability, flavor, color, and texture (Pressman, Clemens, Hayes and Reddy, 2017). The addition of these substances is also aimed at reducing the costs of food or maintaining it as a means of keeping it healthy for human consumption. Contrary to the above, approximately 12,000 other substances are handled in a manner that introduces them to the food supply in a manner not deliberate. The combination of the two chemicals raises concerns as these affect the health effect of the foods including leading to significant environmental issues that ultimately affect the health of the American populations. The additives considered chemicals have over the years presented a point of contention for governments with requirements to implement stringent measures that examine the foods to ensure safety and healthiness for human consumption. The current and emerging regulatory landscape provides a reason for worry with increasing concerns on the possibilities of the chemicals in the foods reacting with others within the environment to cause harm to the consumers. In addition to the above, the changing consumer perceptions also reflect the growing concerns on health complications associated with food additives as these have affected the American population significantly. Increased risk and need for extensive research and focus on standardization and regulations present a complex environment on additives with indications of the dangerous nature of the substances added to foods.

One of the main health concerns revealed by Inetianbor, Yakubu, and Ezeonu, (2015) is food allergies and intolerance resulting from the presence of additives in food. According to the research conducted by the above authors, food additives are identified to be the fundamental cause of stomach pains, breathing complications, vomiting, skin rashes and hives in Americans which are indications of food intolerance and allergic reactions that feature as health concerns. Furthermore, the research identifies the ability of some of the chemicals used as additives to affect the skin causing rushes with adverse effects including damage to the brain. Benzoates in food as additives are strongly associated with this effect proving the assertion that food additives have significant health concerns to the American population. Bromates, on the other hand, are associated with implications such as diarrhea and nausea which are further indications of food intolerance in human beings. Some of the chemicals or substances such as Saccharin used as food additives are strongly associated with toxic reactions that have an effect on the heart and gastrointestinal tract with long-term exposure affecting these adversely leading to other health complications. Birth defects, kidney failures, high blood pressure, heart attack, and strokes are also possible health effects that additives such as Red Dye 40 and Sodium chloride may have on the human body after consumption. A study conducted by Lyra et al. (2013) supports the above assertion indicating the possible development of food allergies to additives added in foods. Evidently, consumption of foods with additives or preservatives in the American population exposes them to health implications that may include possible development of allergic reactions of food intolerance a recipe for possible health complications as detailed above.

A strong link between the consumption of foods with additives and the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has also been established by research which has significantly indicated that continued exposure to additives increases the risk of American suffering this condition (Inetianbor, Yakubu, and Ezeonu, 2015). The use of synthetic preservatives in foods have been directly linked with the development of respiratory complications with the artificial coloring agents used known to aggravate the development of ADHD symptoms. In addition to the above conditions, cancer has also been highlighted as a significant health problem becoming a serious issue in society surpassing the effects advanced by HIV/AIDs. Food additives and preservatives have been associated strongly with increasing concerns on cancer that still remains a difficult health issue to handle due to the limited treatment measures available and low levels of research yielding to positive management of the condition. Other associated diseases arising from the consumption of foods with additives and preservatives include multiple sclerosis and cardiac diseases. The growing concern in the American population on the above diseases is an indication of the effects that food additives and preservatives are having on the American population further affirming to the assertion that the substances used have an effect on human health. Controls and regulatory controls in place have not had sufficient influence on the above problem with increasing health issues registered despite their focus on ensuring limited volumes of the substances in the foods. The increasing concerns on food additives and the health issues they have on the American populations as revealed above have influenced further research with possible outcomes expected to enhance management of the substances used to reduce the nature of health effects they have.

In addition to the above, the consumption of emulsifiers in foods presented in the form of substances increases the possibilities of one developing gut diseases and obesity (Aponso, De Silva, and Abeysundara, 2017). The continued exposure to emulsifiers results in the alteration of the gut microbiota composition and its localization. The resulting effect of this is increased intestinal inflammation which in turn enhances the development of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) comprised of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Furthermore, exposure to the emulsifiers in the gut has also been associated with the development of metabolic syndrome that is classified as obesity-related with other associated diseases that include type-2 diabetes, liver diseases and cardiovascular diseases among other complications. The occurrence of obesity is associated with the bacterial translocation on the epithelial cells which is a process evidently emphasized by the presence of emulsifiers or additives in foods. The reaction above is identified to result in metabolic inflammation and adiposity which are considered main features of obesity. The continued consumption revealed by a variety of studies leads to the effect on the gut microbiota promoting inflammation that causes obesity in humans. Following statistics on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018, June 12), it is evident that the prevalence of obesity continues to become a societal problem in the United States with 39.8% of the U.S population suffering from the problem in 2015 to the 2016 year. That represents a 93.3 million in the entire population of the United States. The above studies by Aponso, De Silva and Abeysundara, (2017) establish the existing link between obesity and the presence of additives in foods further increasing an indication that the substances used in foods as additives and preservatives not only contribute to other health complications but have significantly added to the obesity problem currently faced by the American populations.

On the contrary, the use of food additives and preservatives promotes the shelf life of foods which is an attribute of positive contribution. In addition to the above, the study conducted by Inetianbor, Yakubu and Ezeonu, (2015) reveals that the organic substances in additives and preservatives enhance the color, flavor, texture, and taste of foods which are attributes desirable by the American populations. The ability to add to the shelf life of foods is a positive contribution considering additives allow a cost-effective approach to food management. However, the negative attributes associated with the use of additives outweigh the positives. The increasing research in examining other options that can provide positive results in food management has provided revelations of the need to rely on natural preservatives identified to have a similar effect and with less human health complications. Majority of the natural preservatives are indicated to have positive health contribution to the populations with enhanced immunity abilities and other health improvements that present them as better options compared to the current groups of additives actively associated with health complications.

The use of natural compounds has been suggested as a better approach to enhancing foods as these present additives with fewer health complications compared to the chemical substances used currently evidently indicated to affect the American populations (Bondi et al. 2017). According to the above authors, recent studies have indicated that natural antioxidants such as herbal extracts and essential oils have indicated capacity and ability to serve similar functions as those of the substances used currently but while also providing safety for consumers in contrast to the currently used. The recycling abilities of the natural additives have also raised interests with possible use in the food industry to enhance food preservation and enhancement with fewer health issues. Continued research in this area of interest is needed to enhance their application in the food industry also to reveal the possible combinations that will have a higher effect on the foods as compared to the current shallow research that leaves room for desired research. Oil from the seeds of plants has also featured as an effective source of natural food preservatives as employed in the food industry. The use of this oil is identified as a source of extended shelf-life for the food products.

Conclusion

Summarily, the use of food additives has a positive contribution to the American populations. Despite the high positive effect they have, they present significant negative health complications highlighted by both gut and obesity-related complications. The growing rate at which obesity is...