FDA proposes a rule that would prohibit the use of a toxic food additive in sodas.
The United States has some of the highest rates of soft drink consumption. Nearly one in five U.S. citizens drinks at least one soda a day.
To protect consumers from the potential adverse health effects of soda consumption, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed prohibiting brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a food additive used to prevent citrus flavors from separating and floating to the top in sodas. If the proposed rule is finalized, beverage companies must eliminate BVO as a product ingredient.
FDA proposed the ban in response to the results of a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) linking BVO to numerous health hazards. Researchers for the study fed rats diets containing high amounts of BVO relative to their body weights and found that BVO can accumulate in body tissue following excessive consumption.
High levels of BVO in body tissue can disrupt functioning of the thyroid gland, which helps regulate heart rate, blood pressure, and body metabolism. BVO interferes with the body’s absorption of iodine, a mineral found in fish and salt that promotes the synthesis of hormones in the thyroid. This interference can result in reduced production of essential hormones, leading to metabolic disturbances.
Even though the NIH study focused on the effects of BVO consumption in animals, researchers predict comparable health outcomes in humans because the mechanism of thyroid hormone regulation is similar in both species. In fact, studies show that BVO can also build up in human tissues.
The additive can also cause skin rashes and neurological disturbances, such as severe headaches, memory loss, and impaired sleep.
Read the full report at
