Sodium bisulphite

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Gut inflammation¹

  In lab and animal studies, sodium bisulphite raised gut inflammation, and vitamin B6 seemed to reduce it.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them. IARC rates whether something can cause cancer at all, not how likely it is at the amounts in food.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1998

  Acceptable daily intake: up to 0.7 mg per kg of body weight.

• WHO cancer agency (IARC), 1991

  For bisulfites: not enough evidence to say whether it causes cancer in people (Group 3).