Sodium benzoate and oxidative stress in human red blood cells
What it found
In lab tests on human red blood cells, higher levels of sodium benzoate raised a marker of fat damage and lowered antioxidant enzymes.
The plant compounds catechin and quercetin helped only at the lower levels of sodium benzoate.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Fat damage marker
Sodium benzoate at 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 micrograms per millilitre raised MDA levels in the red blood cells compared with untreated cells. The lowest dose, 6.25 micrograms per millilitre, caused no change.
Antioxidant enzymes
The activities of SOD, CAT, GPx and GST fell at the higher sodium benzoate concentrations. The lowest dose, 6.25 micrograms per millilitre, did not change these enzyme activities.
Catechin and quercetin
Adding catechin or quercetin reduced MDA and raised antioxidant enzyme activities at the lower sodium benzoate levels (12.5 and 25 micrograms per millilitre). At 50 and 100 micrograms per millilitre, these plant compounds had no protective effect.
Catechin and quercetin alone
When red blood cells were treated with catechin or quercetin alone, MDA levels and enzyme activities were no different from untreated cells.
What the authors conclude
“So, our findings suggest that using of SB as food preservatives caution be taken and should be preferred lowest concentrations of SB.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that high concentrations of sodium benzoate may cause oxidative stress in human red blood cells in the lab by increasing fat damage and changing antioxidant enzymes.
- They suggest that using sodium benzoate as a food preservative should be done with caution and that the lowest concentrations should be preferred.
- They note that catechin and quercetin protected the cells only at low sodium benzoate levels.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether sodium benzoate, a common food preservative, could cause oxidative stress in human red blood cells. They also tested whether the antioxidants catechin and quercetin could protect the cells.
They took red blood cells from healthy volunteers and treated them with sodium benzoate at 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50 and 100 micrograms per millilitre, alone or with catechin or quercetin at 10 micromolar, for 1 hour at 37°C. They then measured a marker of fat damage (MDA) and the activity of four antioxidant enzymes.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a lab study on red blood cells taken from volunteers, not a study of people eating sodium benzoate.
- It cannot show what happens in the human body after eating foods that contain sodium benzoate.
- It cannot show whether catechin or quercetin from the diet would protect cells inside the body.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Bozok University, Turkey
The paper
- Title
- Protective role of catechin and quercetin in sodium benzoate-induced lipid peroxidation and the antioxidant system in human erythrocytes in vitro
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Yetuk G, Pandir D, Bas H (2014). Protective role of catechin and quercetin in sodium benzoate-induced lipid peroxidation and the antioxidant system in human erythrocytes in vitro. TheScientificWorldJournal. doi:10.1155/2014/874824Free full textPubMed 24693251DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error