UnderNewManagement

I have a passion for science and medicine that almost rivals my brother’s passion for news. I came across this article in Men’s Health, the July/August 2004 issue.
No thanks I’m stuffed
Don’t blame the pollen. A recent Italian study found that a common food preservative might cause chronic nasal congestion. After identifying 226 people suffering from persistent congestion, researchers removed all preservatives from the subjects’ diet and then added them back one at a time. For a small number of people, reintroducing the preservative monosodium benzoate made them stuffed up again within hours of eating. Study author Maria Pacor, M.D., suggests avoiding foods with high levels of monosodium benzoate, such as colas, jellies, and salad dressings, to see if symptoms improve.
I used to suffer from chronic congestion all the time and I used to drink about 3 liters of Mountain Dew a day. I had sleeping problems and blamed it on caffeine, so I cut out of my diet and inadvertently removed the monosodium benzoate. It is a rare occasion that I have any sinus problems these days, go figure.