Foods such as flavoured crisps, processed peas and brightly-coloured, sugar-coated sweets each typically contain more than one common additive and it is this combination which is said to be potentially damaging to developing nerve cells.
In a three-year study funded by Organix Brands, researchers at Liverpool University tested the toxic effects of E133 Brilliant Blue with E621 monosodium glutamate (MSG) and E104 Quinoline Yellow with E951 L-aspartyl- L-phenylalanine methyl ester.
Results highlighted that mixtures had a much more potent effect on nerve cells than additives used in isolation. Their combined effect was to stop nerve cells developing normally and interfere with signalling systems.
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