Toothpaste Ingrediants.

Shelly89 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 06:42 PM

Hi everyone,

I wondered if you could help me with something....

I've been using C.E.T Enzymatic Toothpaste for my kitty and i've noticed sodium benzoate is one of it's ingrediants, is this bad for cats? I'm really concerned and worried.

I've read it's used in human toothpaste and I thought that cat toothpaste is meant to be paletable and doesn't contain human toothpaste ingrediants?

Thank you in advance.

Saikou · #2 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 06:51 PM

I found this information :

Quote:

The reason you will note sodium benzoate listed in the ingredients of so many foods is because it works very well at killing bacteria, yeast and fungi. You will most commonly see it used as a preservative in foods with a high acid content, since sodium benzoate will only work when the pH balance of foods is less than 3.6. It is therefore effective in most sodas, vinegar, fruit juice, and in mixed ingredients like salad dressing. It is additionally used to stop the fermentation process in wines.

Sodium benzoate naturally occurs in several fruits like apples, plums and cranberries. A few sweet spices contain small amounts of sodium benzoate, including cloves and cinnamon. The presence of sodium benzoate in these foods does not necessarily act to preserve them.

There have been some health concerns about the combination of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid or vitamin C. When the two are mixed, they can form the chemical benzene, which is carcinogenic. However, sodium benzoate on its own is not considered a carcinogen, and you would have to consume a huge amount of it in order to have toxic levels in your body. In mice studies where the animals were fed sodium benzoate, no adverse effects were reported, and the mice’s life expectancies were not shortened, nor was their health affected in any way.

I would assume as pet toothpaste is not designed to be spat out like human toothpaste but ingested then they would have to very careful about what they put in it.

Tempestea · #3 (**permalink**) 11-12-2009, 03:06 AM

It definetly is used as a preservative.. However.. Just as it is added to sodas and heavy junk foods their is a marketing reason for it. Know anyone who is addicted to sodas but the soda their addicted to is caffene free?
know the reason? Well..sodium benzoate IS a preservative..BUT what they dont have to tell people and dont have to, is that it also acts as an addiction..a chemical addiction. It is extremely addictive so its a bonus marketing ploy for manufacturing foods and drinks. I dont mind seeing it in some animal suppliments because i think after the first couple of difficult tries in getting a kitty or ratte etc. To take the yucky stuff they begin to want it because of the addictive aspects. So in toothpaste situations or nutrient for a pet who wont eat its probably a blessing. As for us humans however..thats another thing!

Shelly89 · #4 (**permalink**) 11-12-2009, 04:31 PM

Thank you both for your replies.

I've decided not to use it.....ever again, but i'm struggling to find another toothpaste to use. I've read about PetzLife, I don't like the ingrediants I read about in this either and then I was thinking about Logic Gel, I can't find a full list of ingrediants for this, but I think it might contain Hydrogen Peroxide. Does anyone use Logic Gel and if so, would you be able to list the ingrediants for me.

I was reading a little into the Sodium Benozate myself, if your a serious worrier, like me, you probably know that searching on the internet usually makes you worry more (which it did)

This is what I found:

Quote:

Oral exposure

In general, the database for benzoic acid and sodium benzoate is limited, and there are no studies available performed according to current guidelines. In addition, the documentation of these studies in most cases is insufficient. Detailed information is given in Table 3.

From the available studies, it can be assumed that the toxicity of benzoic acid after short-term oral exposure is low. In high-dosed rats given approximately 2250 mg/kg body weight per day via diet over 5 days, excitation, ataxia, convulsions, and histopathological changes in the brain were seen. The mortality was about 50%; in some cases, bleeding into the gut was noted (Kreis et al., 1967). In two other studies with rats dosed with approximately 825 mg/kg body weight per day over 7-35 days (Kreis et al., 1967) or with 65-647 mg/kg body weight per day over 28 days (Bio-Fax, 1973), no clear treatment-related effects occurred. The reduced weight gain at 2250 and 825 mg/kg body weight per day may be attributed to reduced food intake in the study by Kreis et al. (1967). The relevance of the reduced relative kidney weight at 324 mg/kg body weight per day, which was not dose-related and not accompanied by changes in histopathological examinations, is unclear (Bio-Fax, 1973). As given in Table 3, both studies have several limitations (i.e., missing haematological and clinical chemical investigations, incomplete histopathological examinations); therefore, both of these studies were inadequate for derivation of a NO(A)EL.

More information on dose-response can be gained from the study of Fujitani (1993), in which rats received sodium benzoate for 10 days i feed. At the lowest tested concentration of 1358 mg/kg body weight per day, changes in serum cholesterol levels occurred in females. At doses of 1568 mg/kg body weight per day and above, changes in further serum parameters and an increased relative liver weight were described. Histopathological changes of the liver, increased relative kidney weights, and disorders of the central nervous system (convulsions) were seen after dosing via diet with approximately 1800 mg/kg body weight per day. In several other studies listed in Table 3, adverse effects were seen only at higher doses after feeding sodium benzoate over periods from 10 to 42 days, so that a lowest-observed-(adverse-)effect level (LO(A)EL) of 1358 mg sodium benzoate/kg body weight per day for short-term exposure can be derived.

With cats (Bedford & Clarke, 1972), also described in Table 3, the effect levels with benzoic acid were lower. However, due to the differences in the metabolism of benzoic acid in cats compared with other experimental animals and humans, this study was not taken into further consideration (see section 7).

This is the information from the table which shows some results:

Quote:

4 male cats had 0 or 0.5% in their diet or (approx. 0 or 300-420 mg/kg body weight) over 3-4 days.

Organs which were examined are the liver, kidney, heart, stomach, lung, brain, spinal cord (only animals that died were examined); blood samples were taken from surviving cats.

The findings were mild hyperaesthesia, apprehension, and depression starting 48-92 h after uptake; duration of the syndrome: about 20-48 h; mortality rate: 50%; degenerative changes in liver, kidneys, and lung, but no pathalogical findings in brain or spinal cord; surviving cats: urea and serum alanine aminotransferase (S-ALAT) *, indicating liver and kidney damage.

Reference: Bedford & Clarke (1972).

(a) 4 male cats were also had 100 or 200 mg/kg body weight in their diet over 15 days, only blood samples were taken and no adverse reactions were reported.

(b) 0 or 0.25% in their diet (approx. 0 or 130 - 160 mg/kg body weight) over 23 days, only blood samples were taken and no adverse reactions were reported.

Reference: Bedford & Clarke (1972).

Doesn't that work out that if a cat was an average 4kg, he would have had around 1200mg because of the 300 - 420 mg per kg body weight which is about 100 grams over 3-4 days. With a 70g tube of toothpaste, that would mean the whole tube would've been ingested and 30g more.

That is probably dependant on how much they put in a tube though, I may contact them about it, but they don't currently have an email address to enquire about these kind of things.

Have I worked that out correctly?

Thanks again.

ambercat · #5 (**permalink**) 11-12-2009, 08:43 PM

Logic Gel:

Amylase
Glucoamylase
Glucose Oxidase
Potassium Thiocyanate
Lactoferrine
Lactoperoxydase
Lysozyme
Superoxide Dismutase
Mild abrasives
Non ionic surfactant
Flavouring

Simba9952 · #6 (**permalink**) 13-12-2009, 12:23 AM

I have just started cleaning my cats teeth and after reading your post I checked the ingredients, and yes Sodium Benzoate is there and I'm going to change. I took this quote from Wikipedia so I don't know how accurate it is:-

Sodium benzoate is a preservative. It is bacteriostatic and fungistatic under acidic conditions. It is used most prevalently in acidic foods such as salad dressings (vinegar), carbonated drinks (carbonic acid), jams and fruit juices (citric acid), pickles (vinegar), and condiments. It is also found in alcohol-based mouthwash and silver polish.[citation needed] It can also be found in cough syrups like Robitussin.[1] Sodium benzoate is declared on a product label as 'sodium benzoate' or E211.
It is also used in fireworks as a fuel in whistle mix, a powder which emits a whistling noise when compressed into a tube and ignited.[citation needed]
Sodium benzoate is produced by the neutralization of benzoic acid with sodium hydroxide.[2] Benzoic acid is detectable at low levels in cranberries, prunes, greengage plums, cinnamon, ripe cloves, and apples.[citation needed] Though benzoic acid is a more effective preservative, sodium benzoate is more commonly used as a food additive because benzoic acid does not dissolve well in water.[2] Concentration as a preservative is limited by the FDA in the U.S. to 0.1% by weight. The International Programme on Chemical Safety found no adverse effects in humans at doses of 647–825 mg/kg of body weight per day.[3][4]

Cats have a significantly lower tolerance against benzoic acid and its salts than rats and mice.[5] Sodium benzoate is, however, allowed as an animal food additive at up to 0.1%, according to AFCO's official publication.

In combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C, E300), sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate may form benzene,[8] a known carcinogen. Heat, light and shelf life can affect the rate at which benzene is formed.

Professor Piper of the University of Sheffield claims that sodium benzoate by itself can damage and inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell's mitochondria. Mitochondria consume oxygen to generate ATP, the body's energy currency. If they are damaged due to disease, the cell malfunctions and may enter apoptosis. There are many illnesses now tied to DNA damage, including Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases, but above all, the aging process in general.

No more for my cat.

Shelly89 · #7 (**permalink**) 20-12-2009, 03:08 PM

I was so worried when I saw it as the last ingrediant and started reading about it, the name itself sounds worrying, especially in a cats toothpaste.

I know vets probably recommend it, but it's not something I want to use again. I think from what i've read online though, vets are recommending the Logic Gel more.

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