Subtracting the additives The other day I told you about the health risks associated with one of the most common preservatives used in beverages, a chemical called sodium benzoate. No sooner I had I dotted my 'i's and crossed my 't's than I came across another article on food preservatives. But this time the news was much more promising. As it turns out, researchers have found that extracts from the fruit guarana have antioxidant and antibacterial properties. With these initial results in mind, they tested guarana extract against several fungi and bacteria commonly found in food. The guarana extracts were successful enough at killing the fungi and bacteria that the researchers concluded that they "can be used as a natural additive in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries." Of course, while all-natural guarana is a step up from sodium benzoate, it's not without its own drawbacks. Guarana is an herbal stimulant, and Dr. Wright has commented before that regular use of stimulants -- even natural ones -- isn't good for brain cell health. Combine guarana with the caffeine found in many of the soft drinks we talked about the other day, and you've got yourself a double dose of those potentially brain-damaging stimulants. So it may not be the ideal solution, but it is a step in the right direction. If we have to have preservatives in our food (which, by the way, we really don't -- although they're a fact of modern life that we're not likely to be able to avoid entirely) at least inroads are being made into finding natural ones. | 
