Useful Articles - Health and Fitness

The E-number system was originally used in the European Union in order to regulate the use of substances added to processed foods and drinks to colour them, flavour them, change their texture or enhance their keeping qualities. Additives were given a unique number and those which w

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ere approved for use were prefixed by 'E'. Since then the numbering system has been adopted internationally, but only the European countries use the 'E' prefix.

Most food additives are considered by the authorities to be safe, although some are known to be cancer-producing or bad

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

or you in other ways. Countries do not always agree on whether a certain additive is dangerous or not, hence some additives are banned in some countries but not in others.

Additives are numbered according to their main purpose as shown below:

E100 - E199 (colours)
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

E200 - E299 (preservatives)
E300 - E399 (antioxidants, acidity regulators)
E400 - E499 (thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers)
E500 - E599 (acidity regulators, anti-caking agents)
E600 - E699 (flavour enhancers)
E900 - E999 (miscellaneous)
E1000 -

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

E1999 (additional chemicals)

Although there are several thousand additives in use, they are not all synthetic substances. We should bear in mind that food additives such as salt, sugar and vinegar have been used to preserve foods for centuries. However, the number of addit

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

ves in our food and drink has exploded in the last thirty years as processed food has changed from a rare to a major component of our diet. It is this overall load which is probably of most concern.

So if an additive has been approved, it's OK, isn't it? Well, not exactly. Some

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

pproved additives have been linked with hyperactivity (ADHD) in children. Others have been linked with allergic or sensitivity reactions, asthma and migraines.

The additives that are generally considered to be the most troublesome are:

Preservatives
The nitrates and n

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

itrites (E249 - 252) are potentially carcinogenic (cancer producing). They produce the characteristic flavour of bacon and ham which cannot be produced any other way, so unfortunately these preservatives are difficult to ban.

The benzoates (E210 - 219) can cause sensitivity proble

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

s such as urticaria or hives and asthma in people who are also sensitive to aspirin and / or tartazine (E102).

The sulphites, metabisulphites and sulphur dioxide (E220 - 227) can trigger asthma attacks due to their irritant effect on the airways. They are often found in cold drink

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

, fruit juice concentrates and wine, dried fruits especially apricots and sprayed on salads.

Antioxidants
Synthetic phenolic antioxidants BHA and BHT (E320 and 321) can trigger asthma, rhinitis and urticaria or hives.

Emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

>E430, E433 and E435 are particularly suspected of being carcinogens (cancer producing).

Colourings
The synthetic colours known as azo-dyes such as tartazine (E102), sunset yellow (E110) and amaranth (E123) are known for causing sensitivity reactions such as urticaria o

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

r hives and asthma, especially in children. Excess amounts of food colourings and sodium benzoate preservatives are particularly linked with hyperactivity (ADHD) in children.

Flavour enhancers
The most important and widely used flavour enhancer is monosodium glutamate,

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

or MSG. Well known for producing 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome', the symptoms of which range from tightness in the chest and palpitations to faintness, flushing, sweating, headache and low blood pressure, MSG is now believed to be an endocrine disrupter. This means that it can upset

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

the body's endocrine (hormonal) system. The long term effects on all aspects of health that this could have are potentially far worse than 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' and for this reason particularly disturbing. MSG is also reported to trigger attacks in some asthmatics.

Unfort

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

unately, the additive-labelling system is not infallible. Certain categories of products are exempt, such as alcoholic drinks, food and drink served in catering establishments, and medicines. Food sold without wrapping such as cheese, delicatessen items and bread may also be exemp

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

, even though they are likely to contain additives. Even with labelled food, manufacturers may not be required to list all the substances that came already added to the ingredients.

Some categories of additives such as flavourings do not have to be listed on labels either. They h

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

ve never been tested for safety, and the assumption that they are safe relies upon the fact that they are used in very small quantities. However, anyone eating large amounts of confectionery or candy, soft drinks and processed snacks is likely to get a much higher dose.

Unless we

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

know we have problems with specific additives as individuals, we might think that there is no need to worry about them. However, very little is known about the cumulative effects of the thousands of chemicals to which we are exposed in our daily lives, whether we take them in via o

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

r food or drink, or via our skin and lungs. We can't prevent this onslaught upon our body's detoxification systems (primarily our liver and kidneys) unless we opt out of modern living. But common sense tells us that we can reduce our risks by avoiding added chemicals whenever we c

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

n. So next time you are in the supermarket, compare the labels of processed foods and select the brands with the least additives. Or better still, buy the ingredients, in as unprocessed a form as possible, and make your own low-additive meals.

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tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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A critical element of the Call to Adventure is the Antagonism. The story and editing determine where and how the antagonism is introduced, but it is rare to find not a mention of it during this stage of the journey:

Many natural changes in fingers and toenails come with age. Fine ridges, for example, may start developing from the cuticle of the nail tip. This and other similar changes are common, but they are not signs of poor health.

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