“We are eating hybridized and genetically modified (GMO) foods full of antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, and additives that were unknown to our immune systems just a generation or two ago. The result? Our immune system becomes unable to recognize friend or foe – to distinguish between foreign molecular invaders we truly need to protect against and the foods we eat or, in some cases, our own cells. In Third World countries where hygiene is poor and infections are common, allergy and autoimmunity are rare.”
~ Mark Hyman, M.D., founder and director of the UltraWellness Center, and Head of Strategy and Innovation at the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.
By Carter Trent
An array of packaged foods processed on an industrial scale contain substances known as food additives. These chemicals are added during food manufacturing to enhance flavor, reduce clumping inside machinery and packaging, and change product colors to entice and attract you. One widely-used, low-cost food additive in the United States is a compound called titanium dioxide, also referred to as E171; molecular formula “TiO2.” It’s added to thousands of food items, from baked goods and candy, to soups, dips, and sauces, and is also contained in personal care products.
Titanium dioxide is often hidden from the list of ingredients on products, since it can be labeled as “artificial color.” It gives food a shiny white color, and for that reason is inserted into products such as coffee creamers, low-fat dairy products, and mayonnaise. It also provides a sheen, and can brighten colors. This is why it’s an ingredient in colorful candies such as Skittles, Starbursts, and Sour Patch Kids, as well as Jello-O, pastries, breakfast bars, boxed macaroni and cheese, and cake decorations. The substance was first discovered in 1791, as a mineral found in the earth’s crust, and mining was used to extract it. But titanium dioxide’s industrial production didn’t start until the 1920s. Its use as a food additive ramped up throughout the latter part of the 20th century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it in 1966.
Food safety concerns over titanium dioxide’s toxicity have been raised over the years. In 2006, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) designated the substance “possibly carcinogenic to humans” based on animal studies. A 2011 paper published in the scientific journal Radiology and Oncology noted the accumulation of titanium dioxide “may, through a constant lifetime of oral exposure, reach concentrations that would trigger adverse effects.” These include elevated risk of cardiovascular issues, such as heart attack and stroke.
Attention to health risks reached a heightened urgency with the introduction of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, moredangerousthan its original powder form. Nanoparticles are a microscopic form of titanium dioxide, so small that individual particles cannot be seen by the naked eye. They are created using nanotechnology, where scientists and engineers manipulate the individual molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles of a material to produce new products.
At this small scale, food manufacturers can employ titanium dioxide in a variety of ways, such as coating the outside of an individual piece of candy or chewing gum to make it white. The usefulness of titanium dioxide nanoparticles led to rapid and widespread use in industrial manufacturing ever since the particles were developed in the 1990s. However, evaluating the safety of these nanoparticles on living organisms couldn’t keep pace with how quickly food manufacturers adopted it. Over the last couple decades, a body of research has built up to identify the risks of titanium dioxide to human health.
Studies have shown titanium dioxide nanoparticles can cause genotoxicity. Genotoxicity refers to a chemical substance’s ability to damage your DNA. Because titanium dioxide nanoparticles are so small, research has shown they can penetrate the wall of blood cells, and bond with DNA, causing cell damage and cell death. All of your genetic information is stored in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules. Damage to the DNA controlling cell growth can cause cancer. Also, if DNA damage leads to the death of key brain cells, such as the loss of the irreplaceable neurons in your brain, over time you could experience dementia.
In fact, the EFSA examined several studies that made the link between titanium dioxide and breaks to DNA strands. DNA is composed of a double helix design, where two strands wind around each other, connected by chemical bonds. When one of these strands breaks, your body can typically repair it. But when both DNA strands are damaged, called a double-strand break, it’s one of the most serious types of injuries that can occur to your DNA. A study, “Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Induce DNA Damage and Genetic Instability In vivo in Mice,”published in the journal, Cancer Research, found evidence of double-strand breaks in DNA caused by titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
This study, “Genotoxicity Studies of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) in the Brain of Mice,” found that the mineral could harm your brain and cause Alzheimer’s disease. The study discovered exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) “produces mild to moderate change in the cytoarchitecture of brain tissue,” which refers to the arrangement of cells in your brain. The study’s authors went on to say:
“Therefore, from these findings, the present study concluded that TiO2 NPs is genotoxic and mutagenic to brain tissue which in turn might lead to Alzheimer’s disease incidence.”
Yet despite these research results, governments in the U.S. have been slow to respond to health concerns. According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG), the FDA’s last review of titanium dioxide’s food safety was in 1973, decades before titanium dioxide nanoparticles came into existence. The FDA is finally performing a new review of the chemical’s safety, but only after the EWG and other health and environmental groups petitioned them to do so. California’s state government considered a bill (AB 418) that would have banned the use of titanium dioxide in food, the first state to do so. However, the final, approved version of the bill excluded the substance based on the FDA’s assertion that it was safe.
Meanwhile, the rise in the use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles is what caused the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to review titanium dioxide as a food additive, and ultimately banned it in 2021. The EFSA is akin to Europe’s version of the FDA in terms of monitoring and assessing food safety. According to Maged Younes, the EFSA’s chair for the Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF):
“Taking into account all available scientific studies and data, the Panel concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive. A critical element in reaching this conclusion is that we could not exclude genotoxicity concerns after consumption of titanium dioxide particles. After oral ingestion, the absorption of titanium dioxide particles is low, however they can accumulate in the body.”
A study published in the scientific journal, Nanotoxicology, revealed titanium dioxide nanoparticles remained in your body for at least 7 days, and could stretch beyond 28 days. Concentrations of the substance can accumulate in your liver, lungs, kidneys, brain, spleen, uterus, and skeleton. The EFSA reached its conclusion to ban the mineral after a 2020 review evaluated the safety of using titanium dioxide nanoparticles in food. This was a follow up to a 2016 evaluation where, at the time, the EFSA noted gaps in the available research that prevented a proper assessment.
The University of Sydney performed research showing titanium dioxide nanoparticles are also toxic to your gut health. Associate Professor Wojciech Chrzanowski, one of the lead authors of the study and a nanotoxicology expert, stated:
“There is increasing evidence that continuous exposure to nanoparticles has an impact on gut microbiota composition, and since gut microbiota is a gatekeeper of our health, any changes to its function have an influence on overall health.”
He went on to explain:
“This study presents pivotal evidence that consumption of food containing food additive E171 (titanium dioxide) affects gut microbiota as well as inflammation in the gut, which could lead to diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer.”
A separate study published by Nanotoxicology in 2023 showed how titanium dioxide particles are quickly absorbed by your mouth, and from there, pass on to other organs in your body. According to this research:
“In the context of food additives, the cellular uptake and toxicity potential of food-grade TiO2 has not been addressed in a buccal model, although the mouth should be considered to be the body region exposed to a higher load of TiO2 NPs once they are released from the food matrix. Indeed, with the example of chewing gum, among other sweets in which TiO2 is used as a surface coloring agent, TiO2 particles may be easily released from the gum, dispersed in the saliva, and rapidly come into contact with the buccal epithelium,” which is the inside lining of your cheeks.
The study’s authors noted:
“Concerning TiO2 fate and organ toxicity, chronic exposure to TiO2 has been reported to result in particle accumulation in human tissues, including the intestine, liver, spleen and kidney as well as in the placenta.”
The use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in candy and gum is particularly troubling since it exposes children to the chemical through a popular confection. Kids can be more susceptible than adults to the toxicity because of their lower weight, developing bodies, and higher consumption of candy. Moreover, sweets, such as candy and chewing gum, contain the highest levels of titanium dioxide among foods.
This susceptibility of kids to toxins such as titanium dioxide contributes to a 40% rise in cancer rates among children since the 1970s. In fact, lawsuits were brought against the Mars corporation, maker of Skittles. The suits contended Skittles candy contained a “known toxin,” referring to titanium dioxide. Given the mineral accumulates in the body, and can cause serious health consequences, the Center for Science in the Public Interest warns consumers to avoid the substance.
How to Avoid Titanium Dioxide
Escaping titanium dioxide in food and cosmetic products is understandably easier said than done. Over 10,000 different chemicals are used in the U.S. food supply, and titanium dioxide is just one of them. However, despite the challenges, it’s certainly possible. The best way to avoid toxic food additives, such as titanium dioxide, is to reduce your consumption of processed and ultra-processed foods, opting for unprocessed and whole foods instead. Examples include fruit, vegetables, grass-fed/finished meats, wild seafood, pastured eggs, whole grains (if you are metabolically stable), raw nuts and seeds (if your gut microbiome is strong), and plain whole yogurt with no added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Choose organic versions of these foods whenever you can to avoid pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate, and to consume a greater amount of beneficial nutrients. While there is a current emphasis on exploring the dangers of nanoparticles in particular, it’s important to note that titanium dioxide (E171), regardless of particle size, accumulates in your body, including your brain and blood vessels, and can impede blood flow.
Although Europe’s EFSA banned titanium dioxide in food, and the mounting research indicates its dangers, the FDA continues to maintain the chemical is safe to consume. You be the judge of that. Be sure to read the list of ingredients on packaged food labels to see if titanium dioxide is included. Equally important are “artificial colors,” or “natural flavors,” since titanium dioxide and other non-favorable additives may be added.
And because it’s legally permitted, the lawsuits against Mars were dismissed. But take heart … Although California’s government ultimately decided not to ban titanium dioxide, other states are now looking to prohibit this toxic substance. These include Illinois, New York, and New Jersey. This shows that knowledge is growing about the dangers of titanium dioxide, and awareness is the first step toward change.
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Published on May 16, 2024.
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