preservatives in liquid minerals

[Guest guest]

The BodyBio web-site doesn't list any preservatives in their liquid mineral supplements, so I was taken aback to be told that there are preservatives in them. Being the big mouth that I am, I immediately fired off a query to the BodyBio web-site. Their response follows, & definitely gave me food for thought.1. Many foods & supplements contain ingredients that are not listed. Due to the vagueries of labeling laws in this country, this means that you NEVER know exactly what you are getting. Advocates of food grade peroxide, for example, tell you never to ingest drug-store peroxide, because it contains chemical stabilizers. I have never seen a bottle of drug store peroxide that LISTED chemical stabilizers. However, peroxide tends to want to break down into water & oxygen, so if you want it to stay stable on the shelf for a long time, it would be logical to use stabilizers. And since that peroxide is supposed to be for external use only... (By the same token, a food product can proclaim proudly that it contains no hydrogenated oils, only to list a hydrogenated oil in the ingredients. Because if there is less than a certain threshold amount, they are allowed to claim that the food is free of hydrogenated oils.) In theory, the ingredient list should show all ingredients, but in practice, the laws are such that a lot of stuff is hidden. Food manufacturers can list the generic "spices" or "Seasonings," on the grounds that their secret seasonings are proprietary. Hidden preservatives. Who knows what all else?2. According to this reply, the FDA REQUIRES preservatives in these products. Which suggests to me that OTHER companies are adding the preservative in small quantities, just like BodyBio -- & not listing them, just like BodyBio. Because if they fail to do so, they can go out of business for violating federal law.Personally, I intend to keep on using BodyBio liquid minerals as appropriate. This guy gave me a straight & thorough answer that made sense to me. If this is the law, you can't expect similar products to be preservative-free, & I like a company that gives you an immediate & thorough answer.AnneBegin forwarded message:From: " Wnorowski" <twnorowski@...>Date: June 22, 2011 5:52:49 AM PDT<anne@...>Cc: <sgarrison@...>Subject: RE: Feedback from Website VisitorDear Ms. Seals,The FDA demands that a preventive measure be taken to prevent mold, yeast,bacteria or other contaminant from invading any product intended for humanconsumption. Sodium benzoate was chosen by the food packaging industry forits effectiveness and relative ease of acquisition. It may be syntheticallyproduced or taken from food, which is BodyBio's choice. Sodium benzoate isnaturally present in cranberries, plums, prunes, cinnamon, cloves, applesand several other plants. All these foods also contain vitamin C. Each ofthese foods contains more benzoate than is found in dietary supplements.The FDA allows 0.1% of sodium benzoate to be added to a product. BodyBiouses less than half that. For sodium benzoate to present even a remotehealth risk, certain conditions must be met. It needs to be decarboxylatedin the presence of ascorbic acid under high temperatures (more than 110 F),in metal containers, under long-term storage. These conditions are met bysoft drink companies who use metal cans and who store their products forweeks or months prior to shipping in a hot warehouse often infested byvermin. Not one of these conditions exists at BodyBio. It takes a longtime for sodium benzoate and vitamin C to form a potential toxin in a metalcan. The little sodium benzoate we add is to protect the product after itgets to the consumer, for we have no control over its storage at home. Benzoates appear in jams and jellies, in cough syrup, condiments and varioussoft drinks. They are in the air at the gas pump at a much higherconcentration than in any food or beverage at all. Lingering vehicleexhaust contains benzoates. Have you ever driven behind a bus and inhaledthe suffocating aroma of diesel fuel? A person would have to drink 5gallons of soda a day to get the same amount of benzoate exposure that comesfrom the environment. Do you know anyone who eats jelly beans? They areshiny because of benzoates. Eat honey? Depending on its floral source, itcontains more benzoates than any supplement. Benzoates are used by themedical community to help people with inborn errors of metabolism who cannotbreak down ammonia from protein metabolism. More than 80% of any benzoate is excreted within 6 hours of ingestion.After ten hours, it's gone. Adverse effects are not seen (or evenmeasureable) until the dose is 2 grams per kilogram of body weight. That'sa lot! Humans do not react to the benzoate molecule the same way as theyeasts, molds, and animals used in testing. There are far more dangeroustoxins in the seeds and leaves of some plants we eat, including apples,cherries, potato and tomato leaves and rhubarb leaves. Tapioca root istoxic if raw. Too much water can do serious harm. A person may choose to avoid all benzoates at all costs. That position,like a vegetarians's, cannot be argued.Best regards.Dr. Tom WnorowskiResearch DirectorBodyBio, Inc.45 Reese Rd.Millville, NJ 08332856-825-8338 X 239856-825-2143 faxtwnorowski@...------Original Message------From: anne@...To: custserv@...Subject: Feedback from Website VisitorSent: Jun 21, 2011 3:10 PMThis message was sent using the contact us form on your website: Name: Anne SealsCompany Name:Phone Number: 253 8910413Comments: I recommended your selenium drops recently on a health-oriented email list, & somebody replied that you have started adding (toxic) preservatives toyour products. Are you adding preservatives now, & if so, what sort? Thankyou for your time & attention.