Amy Rushlow

	A century ago, people could die from eating a sausage. Before the advent of modern preservatives, sausages were prone to harboring Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes potentially deadly botulism. In the first half of the 20th century, scientists conducted a significant amount of research on the antibacterial effects of nitrite—a preservative that is especially good at killing C. botulinum and is still widely used in processed meats today. There’s only one problem: some research suggests that nitrates, which become nitrites when our bodies digest them, could be linked to cancer.

	Other artificial food preservatives have come under scrutiny as well. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an independent consumer advocacy group, recommends avoiding several food preservatives, including nitrites, due to their potential cancer link. But, some experts caution, the science is still limited and sometimes contradictory.

	One of the major roles of preservatives is to increase the shelf life of foods. This has allowed stores to pack shelves with unhealthful items, such as sugary treats and processed foods, but it has also improved access to healthful foods, such as whole-wheat products and oils with unsaturated fats, says Karen Collins, a nutrition adviser for the American Institute for Cancer Research.

	Preservatives also kill potentially dangerous microorganisms, such as the food poisoning culprit 

. “If you eliminated preservatives from the meat industry, there would probably be an outbreak of food-borne illness and death from C. botulinum and other toxins,” says Nathan Bryan, a biochemist at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

	The vast majority of research looks at specific preservatives. Among the most studied and the most controversial preservatives are nitrates/nitrites and BHA (butylated hyrdoxyanisole).

	Nitrates and nitrites are found in processed and cured meats, such as hot dogs, bacon and lunch meats. A study published in 2012 found that American women with the highest dietary nitrate intake had a 31 percent greater risk of ovarian cancer than women with the lowest nitrate intake.

	Another study found that people with the highest consumption of nitrites from animal sources were more likely to develop renal cell carcinoma. Nitrites can form nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens, but experts disagree on the extent to which these preservatives may contribute to cancer.

	BHA is found in cereals, vegetable oils and snack chips. Some animal studies have linked the antioxidant BHA to certain forms of cancer, leading the government’s National Toxicology Program to conclude that BHA is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” Yet, the only recent human study on BHA and cancer, published in 2000, found no association between BHA and stomach cancer.

	So, should people avoid preservatives? Lisa Lefferts, a senior scientist for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says that many artificial preservatives can be replaced by using other chemicals, such as vitamin E, or alternative packaging processes.

	“Of course, it’s important to understand that there are much bigger risks in the food supply, such as too much salt, sugar or trans fat,” Lefferts adds.

	The bottom line: “Overall, when we look at preservatives, they are really unlikely to be a large portion of cancer risk,” Collins says. “It’s important for people to know that with a healthy lifestyle—physical activity, a basic healthy diet with a focus on plant foods and avoiding tobacco&mdash;we can prevent more than half of cancers.”

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While some research has shown that preservatives could be linked to cancer, the science is limited and contradictory.

Is There a Connection Between Food Preservatives and Cancer?

Michael M. Richardson walks the hallways of Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center in a crisp white lab coat—the same coat worn by dozens of other medical professionals buzzing about the campus. And yet something makes Richardson stand out: He’s the only one with a guitar case strapped to his back.

Richardson is one of the 5,600-plus board certified music therapists in the United States. Many large cancer centers have embraced music therapy as a way to improve patient wellbeing and reduce pain and anxiety—benefits increasingly supported by research. A recent review of 30 studies and nearly 1,900 patients with a cancer diagnosis concluded that music therapy relieves anxiety, improves mood and decreases pain. A session can involve anything from listening to music and writing a song to learning how to play the ukulele.

“Music can be very powerful,” says Kimberly Sena Moore, a certified music therapist and PhD candidate at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “It can help families cope, and it can help patients cope—emotionally, socially and from a pain and anxiety standpoint as well.”

Just as a counselor will have a different conversation with every patient, no two music therapy sessions are the same. By definition, music therapy is a personalized music intervention by a credentialed music therapist.

“Sometimes our sessions are just music conversations,” says Holly Chartrand, music therapist and co-coordinator for Massachusetts General Hospital’s environmental music program. “Sometimes we do music listening, and it’s really about being in the moment and experiencing music together.”

Chartrand also offers clinical music lessons, either at the bedside or as a welcome distraction when patients are receiving chemotherapy. The hospital even has an instrument-lending program for patients who want to practice. The most popular instrument, she says: the ukulele.

Other common therapy experiences include singing along to music, writing new lyrics to a familiar song, toning and chanting and guided imagery to music. Sessions can last anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes.

Patients and survivors can ask their medical team for information on music therapy and for help finding a therapist. To locate a board-certified music therapist, 

A large body of evidence shows that music can improve mood, pain and anxiety in patients. And while working with a music therapist is generally more effective than simply listening to music, just listening to music is still valuable, studies show.

New technology has allowed researchers to observe just how music therapy might work. “When we are engaging in music, even something as simple as listening, brain images and scans show that our brain lights up,” Sena Moore says.

What the scans show: Listening to pleasurable music helps deactivate the amygdala, a brain structure that processes emotional responses. “That’s telling our body, ‘We can calm down now, everything’s OK,’” says Sena Moore. Music also activates the brain’s pleasure and reward system, which may counteract pain.

Some benefits, though, are impossible to quantify. Leah Oswanski, a music therapist with the Jeffrey F. Wacks Music Therapy Program at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey, recently conducted a survey of their music therapy and performance programs.

“So many people said that it humanized their cancer experience,” she says. “It’s so hard to go through treatment. There are so many tests and so much information that sometimes the human being can get lost in everything that’s going on. Our patients report that music therapy brings back that human side.”

Gale Sulak, 66, was given a diagnosis of lung cancer in December 2011. The cancer had spread, which meant surgery wasn’t an option. Since then, Sulak has continued taking medication and participating in two clinical trials.

Last year, Sulak joined The Celebration Singers, a choir composed of cancer patients, survivors and caregivers led by Richardson at MD Anderson. “I’ve never been one for a support group, but I’ve always loved to sing,” Sulak says.

Before rehearsals, Richardson has everyone introduce themselves, which sometimes gets the group talking with a short get-to-know-you activity. “If you want to talk about your cancer when you introduce yourself you can, but you don’t have to,” Sulak says. “It’s like a support group in disguise.”

“The singing takes me out of myself,” Sulak continues. “It’s hard not to think about your cancer, and it’s hard to talk about it sometimes. That’s what Celebration Singers does for me. When we’re singing I’m totally unaware of being ill, and yet I feel very comfortable chatting with the other singers,” she says.

Of course, everyone copes in different ways—and some, like Bob Mead, cope with humor. Mead, 60, was diagnosed with head and neck cancer a few years ago. Last year, he signed up for Songs from the Heart, a songwriting program for cancer patients through a partnership between Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville and the local Gilda’s Club. After two days of workshops, Mead finished his lyrics. The chorus: 

There’s so many things you don’t expect/When the doctor says “Yup! It’s cancer.”/And when it’s in the head and neck/Amputation ain’t the answer.

 Mead even brought comical cutting tools, like an oversized pair of scissors and a plastic meat cleaver from Halloween, up on stage when his song was performed at the Songs from the Heart concert. “I can’t get around the fact that I have cancer, so I’m not going to let it bum me out,” he says. “I’m going to make fun of it if I can.”

If you don’t have access to a certified music therapist, you can still harness the benefits of music therapy. A study of 120 breast cancer patients recovering from radical mastectomy found that listening to enjoyable music for 30 minutes twice a day during the time they were in the hospital or receiving chemotherapy significantly reduced pain.

Oswanski recommends making several playlists for different moods. “That way if you have a day where you need a cry, great, now you have your playlist.” Make sure to choose music you like, which research shows is most beneficial.

In addition to cancer-fighting treatments, patients can also be healed by music therapy.

Amy Rushlow

Is There a Connection Between Food Preservatives and Cancer?

Healing Sounds of Music Therapy

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