ABSTRACT
Background: Food additives are compounds that are purposely added to food in order to alter its features, maintain and enhance safety, maintain and increase nutrient value, and improve flavor, texture, and appearance of the food.
Objective: Sodium nitrate, quick green, and glycine, all known carcinogens, were tested on albino male rats in this investigation to see if vitamin C had any protective benefits against those toxins.
Materials and Methods: Thirty male albino rats with an average weight of 120-140 g were used in this investigation. Three groupings of animals were formed. There were three groups: control, sodium nitrate, fast green, and glycine-treated rats, and rats given the same mixture of food additives plus vitamin C. Samples were taken and the separated sera were used to estimate several biochemical parameters (kidney functions, liver enzymes, glucose ,lipid profile as well as protein profile) and hormonal levels [triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxin(T4), testosterone,].
Results: body weight, total protein, albumin and testosterone hormone decreased in mixture group. The glucose, HOMA-IR ratio, liver enzymes (ASAT, ALAT) and the kidney function (urea and creatinine) TG and TC increased in mixture group. While HDL and testosterone decreased in mixture treated rats. After ingesting vitamin C, these findings, on the other hand, returned to near-normal levels.
Conclusion: It was shown that vitamin C was able to counteract the negative effects of dietary additives on important physiological indicators in this investigation.