Quick Reality Check - Artificial Food Colorings - Avoid When Possible

1. Food colors are added to many different productsof the 297 children completed the study and the
including yogurts, breakfast cereals, children's drinksscientific methods were good. The children were given
(including chocolate milk), canned peas and even rawtwo types of beverages to drink with food additives
meats. In fact artificial colors are added to a surprisingcommonly found in sweets, beverages, and other
amount of products you buy everyday and may notfoods, and then a placebo drink with no additives. One
even know. Check the labels and see for yourself themix had artificial colorings, including sunset yellow (also
amount of chemicals you consume on a regular basis.called E110), carmoisine (E122), tartrazine (E102),
2. The most common food colorings used in the Unitedponceau 4R (E124), and the preservative sodium
States include:benzoate. Another beverage mix included the current
FD&C Blue No. 1 - Brilliant Blue FCF, E133 (Blueaverage daily consumption of food additives by the
shade), a synthetic dye derived from coal tar whichtwo age ranges of children and included quinoline
often found in ice cream, tinned processed peas, dairyyellow (E104), allura red (E129) , sunset yellow,
products, sweets, and drinks, soaps, shampoos andcarmoisine, and sodium benzoate. Both teachers and
other personal hygiene and cosmetic products.parents evaluated behaviors after the children drank
FD&C Red No. 40 - Allura Red AC, E129 (Redeach type of beverage, and the older children also
shade) is a red azo dye that goes by several nameswere tested on their attention spans. The older
including: Allura Red, Food Red 17, C.I. 16035, FD&Cchildren's behavior was adversely affected by both of
Red 40, 2- naphthalenesulfonic acid,the mixtures with additives, compared with placebo,
6-hydroxy-5-((2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo)-,Stevenson's group found. The younger kids had more
disodium salt, and disodiumhyperactivity with the first mixture compared with
-naphthalene-sulfonate, or E129.placebo, but their responses to the second beverage
In Europe, Allura Red AC is not recommended forvaried greatly. This research has shown the adverse
consumption by children. And is banned in Denmark,effect for a specific set of food colors plus sodium
Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, andbenzoate, a preservative. It does not prove all artificial
Austria.food colors are bad.
FD&C Yellow No. 5 - Tartrazine, E102 (Yellow7. Another Study by KS Rowe on Synthetic food
shade) or FD&C Yellow 5 or C.I. 19140) is acolourings and hyperactivity: A. double-blind crossover
synthetic lemon yellow azo dye often mixed withstudy was published in the Australian Paediatric Journal
FD&C Blue No. 1 to produce a green color.24:143­147, 1988. This research, done at the
Products including tartrazine include candies, cottonDepartment of Paediatrics, Royal Children's Hospital,
candy, soft drinks, instant puddings, flavored chips suchParkville, Victoria, Australia studied 220 children
as Doritos, cereals suchas corn flakes and muesli,referred for suspected 'hyperactivity'. 55 were
cake mixes, pastries, custard powder, soups, sauces,subjected to a 6 week trial of the Feingold diet to
and even some rices and pastas, Kool-Aid, Gatorade,elimiate all food colors from their diet. Forty (72.7%)
ice creams, marzipan, jam, jelly, gelatins, marmalade,demonstrated improved behavior and 26 (47.3%)
mustard, horseradish, yogurt, pickles, and even in someremained improved following liberalization of the diet
honey products! .over a period of 3-6 months. The parents of 14
3. In the past many studies have been carried outchildren claimed that a particular cluster of behaviors
which suggest that artificial food colors are safe andwas associated with the ingestion of foods containing
adverse reactions occur in less than 1 in 10,000 people,synthetic colorings. A double-blind crossover study,
which is about 33,000 people in the United States.employing a single-subject repeated measures design
4. Some stidues in the past few years have foundwas conducted, using eight of these children which is a
that artificial food colors may impact a much largersmall sample size. Subjects were maintained on a diet
segment of the population. The medical journal Lancetfree from synthetic additives and were challenged
published the work of University of Southampton (U.K.)daily for 18 weeks with either placebo (during lead-in
researchers who studied the effects of drinksand washout periods) or 50 mg of either tartrazine or
containing artificial colors and additives on 3-year-oldcarmoisine, each for 2 separate weeks. Two
and 8 to 9-year-old British kids and found that thesignificant reactors were identified whose behavioral
additives made them hyperactive which is an effectpattern featured extreme irritability, restlessness and
that has long been debated. This study tested a rangesleep disturbance. One of the reactors did not have
of kids and not just those diagnosed with attentioninattention as a feature. The findings raise the issue of
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).whether the strict criteria for inclusion in studies
Some US experts say that scientific evidence overallconcerned with 'hyperactivity' based on 'attention
does not point to a definitive link between additivesdeficit disorder' may miss children who indicate
and hyperactivity and that further study is needed. ITbehavioral changes associated with the ingestion of
WAS ALSO SAID BY MANY EXPERTS THATfood colorings.
THERE WAS NO CLEAR LINK BETWEEN8. Boris M, Mandel FS. Foods and additives are
SMOKING CIGARETTES AND CANCER FORcommon causes of the attention deficit hyperactive
MANY YEARS AS WELL!disorder in children. Annals of Allergy 72:462­468,
5. In my opinion as a scientist the research done at1994. North Shore Hospital-Cornell Medical Center,
Southhampton is valid as a large group was studied (Manhasset, New York. A study was carried out which
153 3-year-olds and 144 8- and 9-year-olds) and 267evaluated 26 kids who meet the criteria for ADHD.