Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
As the world becomes such a busy place, we see normal tasks being taken on in the name of convenience. One of those normal tasks where convenience has engulfed the experience is in the art of cooking. For many people today, the ability to cook has become a true rarity and an almost lost art form.
Many people ask, “Why learn to cook when one can order a meal and have it delivered in a fraction of the time it would take to prepare a meal?” The question though is are there negative trade-offs with this non-cooking, fast meal phenomenon?
We often hear terms like processed and ultra-processed bantered around when describing ready-made foods. What exactly do these terms mean? Processed foods are any food or drink that has been changed in some way when it is made or prepared. Ultra processed foods are foods that are typically industrially manufactured. They are synthesized from other organic compounds, formulated to be convenient, shelf stable and hyper-palatable often through the use of food additives such as preservatives, colorings and flavorings.
Ultra-processed foods are not as nature made them. They usually undergo such processes as molding, extrusion, hydrogenation or frying. Most kitchens do not have the tools needed to prepare these foods.
What is concerning is that often the actual contents of these foods are unclear and often unknown to the consumer. The additives and the preservatives in particular are of concern. According to data from the Open Food Facts world database, more than 139,000 food and beverage products available in 2024 had at least one food coloring added while more than 700,000 products had at least one preservative.
Researchers in France with the NutriNet-Sante’ cohort launched a web-based study in 2009 to investigate the complex relationship between nutrition and human health. The research participants consist of more than 100,000 adult participants who track their food consumption and lifestyle habits using repeated 24-hour dietary records.
Using this data, the research cohort studied the participants’ exposures to food additives. They looked at 37 colorants and 58 preservatives and then whittled that down to analyze 10 colorants and 17 preservatives that were consumed by at least 10 percent of the research participants. The researchers looked at correlations between the consumption of color additives and the risk of type 2 diabetes in 108,000 participants. Researchers were able to follow these people from 2009 through 2023. The study results showed that participants with the highest intake of food coloring had a 38 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest exposure.
The categories of color additives that showed a particularly strong association with the development of type 2 diabetes at 43 percent were caramels. People who consumed foods with carotenoids had a 39 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes was also higher in people who consumed color additives such as beta carotene (44 percent), curcumin (49 percent) and anthocyanins (40 percent). Of note, these colorings are commonly found in ultra processed foods.
A second study examined research participants’ cancer risk. Study participants who consumed these food additives and colorings were associated with a 14 percent higher overall risk of developing cancer. The highest risk was for developing breast cancer at 32 percent and there was a high risk for developing postmenopausal breast cancer. Of note, plain caramel was associated with a 15 percent higher risk for overall cancer.
A third study focused on food preservatives and included 112,000 participants who were followed from 2009 to 2024. Those research participants with the highest ingestion of preservatives had a 24 percent higher risk for developing hypertension. When analyzing individual preservatives, researchers found a 16 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease among participants. Potassium sorbate was associated with a 39 percent higher risk for hypertension citric acid with a 25 percent higher risk and ascorbic acid with a 15 percent higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
The authors of this study noted that these were the first large scale epidemiological studies to evaluate a broad range of food colorings and preservatives. Certainly, further testing should be done as it is now known that the consumption of these additives and preservatives and their perceived convenience in food processing may not be worth the health risks.
Dr. Veita Bland is a board-certified Greensboro physician and hypertension specialist. Dr. Bland’s radio show, “It’s a Matter of Your Health,” can be heard live on Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. on N.C. A&T State University’s WNAA, 90.1 FM. Listeners may call in and ask questions. The show is replayed on Sirius 142 at 5 p.m. on Wed. Email Dr. Bland at ideas@blandclinicpa.com
