Food Dyes: Safe or Scary?
Artificial Colorings: Two British studies have found that artificial food dyes, in tandem with the preservative sodium benzoate, cause hyperactivity and other behavior problems in many children. And studies have suggested that Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 3, and Yellow 6 all can cause cancer. Artificial food dyes have been blacklisted in the U.K. and parts of Europe, but not here. In the U.K, a McDonald's strawberry sundae gets its color from strawberries, while in the U.S. the sundae's color is from Red 40. Be on the safe side and avoid artificial colorings altogether.
Beta-Carotene: Beta-carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A, is used to give an orange-yellow tint to such foods as margarine, breakfast cereals, and some beverages. It is a natural compound often derived from algae, and is safe when used as a coloring.
Annatto: Sourced from the red seed of a tropical tree, annatto commonly appears in butter and cheeses to make them yellow/orange. It's considered an antioxidant, so it helps rid the body of damaging free radicals and also aids immune function. It's safe to consume.
Caramel Color: Used in cola and many other foods including canned meats and baked goods, caramel color comes from carbohydrates that are heated until you have what basically amounts to burnt sugar. A study has suggested that the caramel color in cola may cause an elevation in blood pressure, due to the advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, present in heated carbs. It certainly wouldn't hurt to reduce consumption of this natural coloring by cutting back on cola -- doing so will also help your family drop some unwanted pounds.
Jennifer Schonborn is a holistic nutrition counselor, certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Sign up for her newsletter and free consultation at jenniferschonborn.com.
Related: Food Additives Put Your Child at Risk, Additives and Your Health
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ycav4424 12-31-2009 @ 6:33AM
Yet many outspoken people complain about smoking. Almost hunting them down just to make them miserable. All the time, using these products that can cause cancer like house hold cleaners and dozens of other things that actually do cause cancer. They should all get enough cancer to shut them up for intruding into other peoples lives. They are just annoying, and don't serve any purpose except making useless noise and negative feelings where ever they go. So mind your own business, you don't know everything, about everything.
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churchof1 12-31-2009 @ 10:17AM
You're a smoker aren't you? This is one of the dumbest comments I've ever seen posted. Yes, these dyes and other household products do cause cancer BUT SMOKING DOES TOO! However, unlike smoking, consuming these dyes only harms yourself. Whereas others can die from inhaling your second hand smoke. It's fine if you want to kill yourself (note: I've watched someone die of throat cancer and it ain't pretty) but you shouldn't be allowed to endanger the lives of others. I think smoking should be banned altogether.
tmc 1-04-2010 @ 5:11PM
I wish you well when dealing with your emphysema...
ycav4424 12-31-2009 @ 11:08AM
Smoking is and will be because of free choice. Even so, people are already starting to push their ideas on over weight people. After that it will be something else. I guess some people were put on this earth to force opinions and generally be a pain in the a**. They are a good example of what not to be like. They don't really care, they just have to put down others to feel superior, because they have that right, and want to take away others rights. I have kown people like that. They don't last long.
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Shula Edelkind 1-03-2010 @ 12:50AM
Thank you, Jennifer, for a really good article on the dyes and some of the more natural additives as well. For those who want to avoid the worst of the additives (including artificial food dyes, artificial flavorings, and petrochemical preservatives) without giving up their lifestyle, the Feingold Association can help. Their teams of volunteers do continuous product information research and provide members with Foodists containing tens of thousands of brand name products that don't have these additives. You can see the Feingold website at ADHDdiet.org
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steven 1-26-2010 @ 6:34AM
We should all cut back out chemicals, rather than make excuses to ingest more chemicals. Smoking is not the greatest idea IMO. We will have less of the problems we are experiencing if we reduce our intake of chemicals.
Annatto is safe for most people, but ironically it has more acute episodes associated with it than the artificial colours in terms of adverse events which are recorded (which as the Southhampton Study shows us aren't always reported or recorded).
A significant minority of people can suffer anaphylactic shock from consuming it. But for most people it is very healthy, yielding an exactly variety of carotenoid substances. It is risky to use things like annatto at a birthday party with lots of kids coming. It is like playing Russian Roulette. One of the kids could have a reaction to it. But for everyday use, it would be okay as long as you are aware of the potential risks, and aren't one of the unlucky people who suffer adverse reactions.
Betacarotene as you point out, a precursor to vitamin A is excellent for you as are many other natural plant based pigments such as lutein and lycopene. They are packed with antioxidants.
Some of the 'natural' food colourings don't seem so natural when you consider cochineal is traditionally harvested from tens of thousands of carcuses of crushed beetles. 'Beetlejuice'.
www.coloursoflife.com.au
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