Monday, January 28, 2013

Food colorings : Are they safe ?

Food dyes have been the subject of scrutiny as early as 1906 but the government has not banned them outright even when there were questions their safety. Part of this was to appease the food industry and part of this due to lack of conclusive evidence. Most of the concerns had been based on observations of teachers and psychiatrists rather than large scientific studies. During the 1990s when food colorings reached peak production ,it was noted that behavioral problems in kids also increased. There were even a few studies that showed that hyperactive children,when given food dyes, became more hyperactive. In fact a study commissioned by the British government, actually showed that children with no known behavioral problems became hyperactive when given food dyes ! So it is no surprise that Europe took the lead in banning certain dyes and monitoring if the redness in an orange drink came from oranges or an orange dye. As a result foods marketed in Europe are relatively free of dyes and if one is used, plant based dyes ( which do not cause the above mentioned problems) are used rather than synthetic coloring.

So even though the jury is out regarding the effect of food colorings,it is prudent to avoid them or minimize their use . Parents of children with behavioral issues might want to consider experimenting with eliminating foods that contain food dyes. Whether or not food dyes cause problems might be controversial. What is indisputable, however, is that most foods that contain food colorings contribute to the what is now considered the biggest health threat to children: childhood obesity.

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