Influence of food dyes on children's behavior

To achieve or maintain the desired color, dyes are added to their products.

Dyes are additives labeled with codes from E100 to E199. Some of them are quite harmless. Colors ranging from red to purple can be obtained, for example, by adding E163, or anthocyanins, which occur naturally in large quantities in blueberries, dark grapes, eggplant, and blackcurrants.

Yellow color can be achieved by adding vitamin B2 (riboflavin), labeled E101. Another way to obtain yellow and yellow-orange hues is by adding curcumin (E100), derived from turmeric rhizomes, or carotenoids (E160), which are naturally most abundant in tomatoes, red bell peppers, carrots, as well as kale and spinach. In addition to color, they provide the product with strong antioxidant properties (1).

Dyes can also have a dark side.

According to a 2008 European Parliament regulation, six of these must only appear in food products accompanied by a specific warning. They are often called the "Southampton Six" or "Southampton dyes." The name comes from the University of Southampton, where a study was conducted involving 153 three-year-olds and 144 children between the ages of 8 and 9. The results were published in 2007 in the journal The Lancet (2). They suggested that consuming drinks containing combinations of the aforementioned synthetic dyes along with sodium benzoate (E211) was linked to changes in children's behavior. In the studied groups, researchers observed hyperactivity, concentration problems, increased anxiety and impulsivity, as well as interrupted or excessive talking. As a result, the 2008 European Parliament regulation mandated that food manufacturers label any food products containing even one of these dyes with the statement: "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children."

Foodstuffs containing one or more of the following food dyes:

• Sunset Yellow FCF (E 110)
• Quinoline Yellow (E 104)
• Azorubine/Carmoisine (E 122)
• Allura Red AC (E 129)
• Tartrazine (E 102)
• Ponceau 4R (E 124)

Interestingly, at the same time, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) began an analysis of the safety of the dyes discussed in the publication from The Lancet, and in 2008, it issued a statement saying that the study was not sufficient grounds for implementing changes and lowering the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of the dyes in question (4). However, after just over a year, EFSA experts updated their position and changed the ADI levels for three of the six dyes included in the study: E104, E110, and E124 (5-8). According to EFSA's declarations, this was not due to an explicit acceptance of the Southampton study results, but rather stemmed from the real risk that the average child—due to the rapidly growing market for highly processed products—was exceeding the then-permitted intake levels of these dyes.

There are many reports in the literature indicating that food dyes can trigger hives, shortness of breath, or exacerbations of atopic dermatitis (9). Children whose diets are high in colorful sweets—such as coated candies, lozenges, gummies, and lollipops—are particularly at risk of consuming large amounts of these dyes. These products are where such additives appear most frequently. The biggest problem seems to be that the law does not define the risks resulting from the simultaneous use and consumption of multiple additives in a single serving of food. While the effect of a single additive may not have a negative impact on our health, the situation can be quite different when consuming a mixture of additives. Many substances are not harmful on their own, but through metabolic processes and reactions with other substances, including medications, they can exacerbate or even cause health problems (10,11).

Therefore, for the sake of your own health, it is worth maintaining a healthy skepticism, reading labels (especially those on the back of packaging), and choosing processed products with the shortest ingredient lists. This is especially important given that some dyes (e.g., E128), which were once considered safe, have since been completely withdrawn (12). We do not know which substances currently approved will be withdrawn in the future.

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Bibliography:

1. Krzyśko-Łupicka, Teresa, Magdalena Kręcidło, Łukasz Kręcidło. "Food dyes and consumer health." Kosmos 65.4 (2016): 543-552.
2. McCann, Donna, et al. "Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9- year- old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial." The lancet 370.9598 (2007): 1560-1567.
3. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives. Annex V
4. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/news/efsa-evaluates-southampton-study-food[1]additives- and-child-behaviour (accessed 03.10.2022)
5. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/091112 (accessed 03.10.2022)
6. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1329 (accessed 03.10.2022)