Furious Seasons

April 11, 2008

Brits To Ban Food Colors Linked To ADHD In Kids

The British Food Standards Agency yesterday moved to ban six food colors that are apparently linked to ADHD is some kids. The colors are: tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), ponceau 4R (E124) and allura red (E129) and are found in all kinds of food products including mushy peas and confections.

"The researchers estimated that 30 per cent of cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) would be prevented if companies removed the colours used in the £13bn-a-year global additives industry."

Thirty percent? That's quite a claim. I'm no fan of banning foods and additives, but if these food colors are as tightly-linked to ADHD as researchers claim to have proven in a Lancet study last year, then go right ahead. Folks can just have their mushy peas gray-green instead.

On the other hand, I know that in America researchers have looked into this same issue and not found similarly strong evidence to support the food-colorings-make-kids-hyper theory. Guess we'll have to see how this ban works out in the UK.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at April 11, 2008 12:05 AM

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Comments

my daughter observed red and blue dyes in sport drinks or those 'fruit snacks' and 'roll ups' making her agitated, to the point she watched out for those colored things. didnt eat a lot of the fruit snacks, but gatorade, powerade stuff, she stopped. i also teach a lot of kids who have lunch boxes loaded with those colored 'foods and snacks' [that really have no nutrional value]and many are completely wound up after lunch; to the point you begin to dread seeing colored fake food in kids'lunches.

Posted by: Stephany at April 11, 2008 01:50 AM

great site...can I link you on mine?

Posted by: Pocket at April 11, 2008 05:51 AM

I wouldn't be surprised if dyes do make a difference but unfortunately I think there are a whole lot more things in the diet besides food dyes that are probably affecting people's and kids' moods. Read The Omnivore's Dilemma for a chilling look at our food industry and the ways in which processed food has been robbed of nutritional value. As a nation, especially the Midwest I'm sorry to say where I was witness myself recently to the incredible volume of processed foods being stocked in supermarkets (aisles and aisles of frozen boxed pizza for instance), we are eating large amounts of crap and there is no doubt in my mind that this is affecting everyone's physical and mental health. One of the best things anyone can do for health frankly is learn to cook using fresh, unprocessed ingredients, hopefully from local producers.

Posted by: Sara at April 11, 2008 11:47 AM

I have always said the least amount of trash we create the better. Having said that...it is by far the most expensive way to eat....fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive here in Louisiana. Organic anything is more expensive and the meats that are hormone free range free are 3 times more expensive than regular meats.
We try our best to eat well and not eat junk.
I eat fast food everyday. Recently I have been eating mcdonalds asian grilled chicken salads.
very good it has edamame and snow peas too. But is full of salt. But I love it.

Posted by: bizi at April 11, 2008 10:37 PM

Ironically...

Some drugs contain these colourings..
Seroxat is one of them....

http://emc.medicines.org.uk/emc/assets/c/html/DisplayDoc.asp?DocumentID=2057

Posted by: truthman30 at April 12, 2008 08:36 AM

If British researchers find that these substances are problematic, and American ones find that they aren't, I would almost immediately assume the Brits are right.

Posted by: fred at April 14, 2008 08:23 AM