In sci.med.nutrition Steve B wrote:
On 21 Aug 2003 23:38:10 GMT, Brian Sandle
wrote:

If benzoate is a bacteriostat in bread would it also be inside us? A
very large proprtion of our faeces is bacteria. Whereas benzoate may
not hurt us immediately it might over a duration, especailly for
people who have bread as a greater proportion of their diet.

I had 30 years on British bread (in the early part of that, at least,
it was probably benzoate-ridden) and it didn't seem to affect my
faeces.

You say `seem' but you didn't do tests.

And faeces is not something that just has importance by being done.

I said it is mainly bacteria (apart from water) to indicate bacteria
have a huge importance in how the body works. Resist some species
of them and perhaps you will be short of a vitamin which they
synthesise.


Mind you, I've never known how to answer the embarrassing
question "are you keeping regular?" Well, no, I don't get terribly
concerned if I have to squat at different times today from yesterday.
Maybe I should.

At any rate, I haven't noticed any difference in the operation of my
intestinal processes before and after benzoate.

Perhaps you got by with vitamins you ate in food.

Tomato sauce used to have benzoate as a preservative, too. I haven't
read the ingrediatns for a while.

I repeat, there's always the option of "benzoate-free bread" just as
we have "gluten-free bread" for people sensitive to that.

Or, if you insist: "bread" and "benzoate-enriched Neva-Mold bread"
(with a government warning about a possible risk of deviant
digestion). I don't see it would do anyone any harm.

Let us take responsibility for our own health.

Like leaving iodine out of salt, folic acid out of grain products,
vitamin D out of milk (it isn't added in NZ anyway).

It is partly the plastic wrapping on bread which causes the mold.
Also read the use by date on it when you buy it. When it comes in to
the shop it should have some 9 days usable life left I think.

Thanks to doe for sci.med.nutrition article. I wonder if Steve knows
of a time in Britain when the children were getting too much rickets
and so the bran was removed to reduce the phytate you mention from
bread and lime added.

That reminds me I remember seeing a fellow at Crop Research have
sandwiches half white half wholemeal bread.