Significance

• Preservatives contain chemicals that can produce allergic reactions, birth defects, cancers and other health problems.
  
  

Components

• Preservatives with potentially harmful health effects include tartrazine, which is an artificial food coloring; nitrites; nitrates; sulfites; monosodium glutamate (MSG); and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.
  
  

Effects

• Artificial food coloring, sulfites, nitrites and nitrates can cause or are suspected of causing allergic reactions. They also are potential carcinogens, which are substances known to increase the risk of cancer. Other preservatives can pose the risk of cardiovascular disease; kidney, liver or digestive problems; or behavioral changes and hyperactivity in children.
  
  

Oversight

• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives work together to continuously monitor safety and evaluate possible toxicity of some food additives.
  
  

Avoidance

• Eating fresh fruits helps avoid preservatives.fresh fruits image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
  
  Eating fresh and unprocessed foods helps avoid consumption of preservatives. Make a habit of reading food labels to determine whether a product uses preservatives that could pose a health risk or trigger an allergic reaction, such as aspartame, monosodium glutamate, nitrates and nitrites.