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Is Potassium Sorbate Bad for You?

Is the preservative used to prevent mold growth in foods such as cheese, yogurt, wine, dried meat, pickles, apple cider, and many herbal dietary supplements harmful for humans?

October 18, 2011 |
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Is Potassium Sorbate Bad for You?, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Sources Cited

Mamur S, Yüzbasioglu D, Unal F, Yilmaz S. Does potassium sorbate induce genotoxic or mutagenic effects in lymphocytes? Toxicol In Vitro. 2010 Apr;24(3):790-4.

Hasegawa MM, Nishi Y, Ohkawa Y, Inui N. Effects of sorbic acid and its salts on chromosome aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges and gene mutations in cultured Chinese hamster cells. Food Chem Toxicol. 1984 Jul;22(7):501-7.

Sasaki YF, Kawaguchi S, Kamaya A, Ohshita M, Kabasawa K, Iwama K, Taniguchi K, Tsuda S. The comet assay with 8 mouse organs: results with 39 currently used food additives. Mutat Res. 2002 Aug 26;519(1-2):103-19.

Schiffmann D, Schlatter J. Genotoxicity and cell transformation studies with sorbates in Syrian hamster embryo fibroblasts. Food Chem Toxicol. 1992 Aug;30(8):669-72.

Acknowledgements

Image thanks to www.justfinewine.ca, quinn.anya, "the boy on the bike", and www.innocentenglish.com.

Transcript

Previously we’ve looked at the safety of the preservative sodium benzoate. What about potassium sorbate, commonly used to prevent mold growth in cheese, yogurt, wine, dried meat, pickles, apple cider, and many herbal dietary supplements? Harmful, harmless, or helpful?

Well, it’s been found harmless to Syrian hamsters, but toxic to Chinese hamsters. Then they discovered it’s actually harmless to Chinese hamster ovary cells, just toxic to Chinese hamster lung cells—but harmless to mouse lung cells. Now rats are a whole 'nother story, but what about human cells. Took us until 2010 but let’s find out: Does potassium sorbate induce genotoxic or mutagenic effects in lymphocytes—human lymphocytes, white blood cells. The paper concludes “Based on our results, consumers should be made aware that potassium sorbate should be considered a genotoxic and mutagenic compound.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Peter Mellor.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on preservatives. And don't forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. Be sure to check out all the videos on preservatives. And don’t forget, there are 1,449 subjects covered in my other videos–please feel free to explore them!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/christopher/ Christopher

    Amazing site!I was diagnosed with R.A. over four years ago,methotrexate,sulfasalisine,plaquenol,enbrel,were some of my meds.I have been a vegan since Jan./11.My blood work shows none of the bio markers for the disease,I have no symptoms of R.A.My rheumatologists told me there was no cure,just lifelong medication. My own research on R.A. led me to a plant based diet with Zero animal products.I am now the healthiest I have ever been in my life.Thank you for this site it is an excellent source of nutritional information.

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/toxins/ Toxins

      Awesome! I love hearing about healing through a plant based diet. Its amazing how effective your body becomes once you give it the right stuff to work with!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/StephenKelly/ Stephen Kelly

    Would you recommend this supplement then? http://www.b12vegan.com/

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/StephenKelly/ Stephen Kelly

    Would you recommend this supplement then? http://www.b12vegan.com/

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/wickedchicken/ wickedchicken

    Just on the last sentence you said…you forgot “in vitro” ..but not yet in vivo. Very NB!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=872945331 Isaac Chayo

    thanks for sharing! excellent post. 

  • http://twitter.com/ToxicBeautyBlog Robin Adler

    Hi Dr. Greger, What is your take on potassium sorbate used as a cosmetic
    preservative? Would it also be considered toxic? Was the study
    primarily done on potassium sorbate ingested through food? It would
    worry me a bit more in a cosmetic product since the skin absorbs what is
    put on it and it bypasses the liver. Thanks!

  • Deb

    Yipes I’m scared!  I just had blood work that shows that my potassium level is off-the-charts high!
    1) What would you suggest diet-wise and 2) If all vegans and vegetarians don’t have this problem, what would be occurring in my body that would cause this?  THANKS!

    • Toxins

      The concern of getting in too much of any one nutrient from a whole
      foods plant based diet is really unfounded and virtually impossible.
      Rare exceptions include too much selenium from eating too many brazil
      nuts and of course, too much saturated fat from foods like coconut and
      the tropical oils.

      However, there are several medical conditions, such as kidney disease, where potassium may have to be limited and in those cases

  • Caeric7

    I am actually allergic to Potassium Sorbate, it causes me to have trouble breathing.

  • sharon

    is Potassium sorbate harmful to patients on dialysis?

  • MAYDAY

    WHAT A SHAME YOU GIVE NO POSSIBILITY OF SENDING THIS IN EMAIL FORM! I HAVE MANY FRIENDS INTERESTED IN THIS SITE BUT I AM MOST DEFINITELY NOT INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED IN ANY SOCIAL NETWORKS. PLEASE GIVE THE POSSIBILITY OF EMAILING THESE DETAILS

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/ Michael Greger M.D.

      Just click on the orange share button below the video and then click the email icon (little envelope).

  • Joel Roberts

    BUT IT”S IN SRIRACHA. I CAN”T EAT ANYTHING WITHOUT SRIRACHA. WHAT DO I DO DR.?!

  • Bird

    Someone noted in the comments that potassium sorbate should be limited in kidney disease, but I didn’t see a doctor’s response. I have Chronic Kidney Disease (not on dialysis) and I am supposed to avoid foods with a lot of potassium.

    When I read labels, for instance this morning on a jelly label, I find that it has “less than 2%” of potassium sorbate. Is this in the same family as potassium? Is there enough postassium sorbate when used as a preservative to add significantly to potassium load?

  • adawe

    what about gut microflora

  • Berliner2442

    Would it be harmful to use Potassium Sorbate in Cosmetic?

  • Kman

    I just ate some dried fruit and when buying I noticed Potassium Sorbate in every type of dried fruit I looked at. I have to raise my eyebrow at the leaving out of dried fruit from the list.

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