Many people, esp. children are attracted to brightly coloured foods like carbonated drinks, cakes, lozenges, cakes, ice creams or medicines. But we never bother about the fact that these colours are produced by adding some synthetic colours most of which are harmful in the long run especially in kids who are in their developing stages. Most synthetic food dyes are derived from petroleum, or crude oil. A review on the toxicity on these dyes lists 9 common food dyes. They are;
1.Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue), 2.Blue 2 (Indigo Carmine), 3.Citrus Red 2, 4.Green 3 (Fast Green FCF), 5. Orange B (No longer used in the U.S., but was never officially banned), 6. Red 3 (Erythrosine), 7.Red 40 (Allura Red), 8.Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) and 9.Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow)
Most of these are manufactured from coal tar, which comes from coal. Sunset Yellow (E110), Tartrazine (E102), Amaranth 43 (E123) and Brilliant Blue (E133) are highly used synthetic dyes which are added to 44 nonalcoholic beverages Generally, synthetic dyes contain azo (N=N) functional groups and aromatic ring structures, so they are harmful to human health health 3 46 (López-de-Alba et al., 2001) Accordingly, monitoring of synthetic food dyes in high 49 consumption products such as beverages becomes an essential task
The toxic effects of synthetic dues
1. Increases inflammation and disrupts functioning of the immune system. The small molecules in artificial dyes attach to proteins in our body and cause disruptions in the immune system since the immune system finds it difficult to defend the body against them.
2. Contain cancer-causing, toxic contaminants.
Some of the most commonly used food dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6) are contaminated with known carcinogens or cancer-causing substances, such as 4-aminobiphenyl, 4-aminoazobenzene, and benzidine. According to the FDA, these contaminants are present in food dyes at “safe” levels. Red 3 was found to be an animal carcinogen way back in 1990, but for some reason is still allowed in our food.
3. May cause cancerous tumor development. Some of the most commonly used food dyes are linked to many different forms of cancer:
a. Citrus Red 2 caused bladder and other tumors in mice and bladder tumors in rats.
b. Red 3 caused thyroid tumors in rats.
c. Blue 2 may cause brain and bladder tumors in rats.
d. Red 40 may cause reticuloendothelial (immune system cells that are spread throughout the liver, spleen, and lymphatic system) tumors in mice.
e. Yellow 6 may cause adrenal and testicular tumors in rats.
4. Causes hypersensitivity, especially in children.
a. Red 40 has been shown to trigger hypersensitivity in children.
b. Yellow 5 has linked to hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, and other unfavorable behavioral effects in children.
c.Studies have shown that the elimination of artificial food dyes from children’s diets may help to reduce symptoms of attention-related disorders and other behavioral problems in children.
Some other negative effects are📷
Negatively impacts the functioning of the liver and other vital organs
Interfere with the digestive enzymes that our bodies produce to help properly break down the food that we eat
Increases intestinal permeability aka “leaky gut”
Linked to respiratory disorders, such as asthma and bronchitis
Negatively impacts nerve cell development
Second part (next story): Advantages and sources of Natural dyes which can be used in foods and medicine.
References
Kobylewski, S. et al (2012) Toxicology of Food Dyes, Int.J.Occup. Environ Health, 2012, July-Sept.
Mammen Daniel
