*Note from Dr. Mac: If you wish to purchase dye-free, additive-free, toxin-free vitamins and supplements for your family, feel free to order from the same source where I purchase my childrens' health supplements. Quality products, good prices, cash back on orders, and a consultant named Cindy who really knows her stuff. Click here & search for vitamins and/or supplements.

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It appears that there is strong evidence suggesting that certain dyes can exaccerbate the ADHD symptoms. Yellow Dye #5 HAS BEEN linked to hyperactivity in research studies. Below, you will find excerpts from articles reporting on the research and a hearing held by the Food & Drug Administration.

FDA Panel Delays Action on Dyes Used in Foods
It calls for more research, but many parents and scientists fear link to ADHD
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) Excerpt
Artificial dyes are added to many foods including JELL-O, Lucky Charms, Pop-Tarts, Nestles Butterfinger bars, Hostess Twinkies and Frito-Lay Doritos, to name a few, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The FDA has regulatory authority over food additives. For example, in 1976, Red No. 2 was banned because it might be cancer-causing.

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This week's meeting was significant because it was "the first time the FDA has acknowledged that food dyes may affect children in a limited way," said Dr. David Schab, a psychiatric researcher and an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City.
Schab, who was scheduled to testify at the hearing, called it "a big step forward."

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The question the panel was dealing with was whether the dyes cause ADHD, or might they simply trigger some nonspecific behaviors, such as irritability and insomnia, Schab said.
Jeff Cronin, a spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has long lobbied for a ban on the dyes, said "the evidence that artificial food dyes worsen some children's behavior is pretty convincing."

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Cronin had hoped that the FDA panel would recommend warning labels on foods with these additives, and encourage companies to switch to safer colorings.
Given the studies done so far, Schab said he also favored eliminating artificial colorings from foods.
"I would like the FDA to eliminate dyes, but I would also be very happy if we would have a label warning, like the ones that protect Europeans," Schab added. "Labels that warn that these dyes have potential detrimental effects on behavior."

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Based on its review of published studies, the FDA at this point said "a causal relationship between exposure to color additives and hyperactivity in children in the general population has not been established."
However, it did go on to say that for some children with ADHD and other behavioral problems, these dyes may exacerbate their problems. But dyes may not be the only food additive that has this effect, the FDA noted.

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On the other side of the debate, Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, contended that "the safety of artificial colors has been affirmed through extensive review by the FDA and the European Food Safety Authority, and neither agency sees the need to change current policy."
Kennedy added that "all of the major safety bodies globally have reviewed the available science and have determined that there is no demonstrable link between artificial food colors and hyperactivity among children."
Another industry voice said that food aesthetics matter to American consumers.
In a statement, David Schmidt, president and CEO of the International Food Information Council, said that "food colors add to our enjoyment of food by maintaining or improving their appearance."
"Without sufficient scientific evidence that a causal link truly exists between food colors and hyperactivity in children, communications that suggest a link could have unintended consequences, including unnecessarily frightening consumers about safe ingredients that are consumed every day," he said. "Misguided theories dilute the impact of advice from health professionals on methods that have been found through scientific research to be truly effective in treating ADHD, such as medication and behavior modification."

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However, Dr. Roberto F. Lopez-Alberola, chief of pediatric neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, believes the dyes could have neurological effects on children.
"The European Food Safety Authority has made it law that foods that contain these additives have a warning label," he said. "This is already old news in the Old World."
Lopez-Alberola said these dyes make foods more attractive, especially to children, and he speculates that part of the increase in ADHD and autism has resulted from food additives. "It's not the sugar, it could well be these colorants," he said.
Cronin, the spokesman for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said there are alternatives to chemical colorings. He said that when warning labels were put on foods in Europe, it caused many U.S.-based food companies to market natural-based food-colored products in Europe.

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More information
For more information on ADHD, visit the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.

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SOURCES: Jeff Cronin, spokesman, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, D.C.; David Schab, M.D., M.P.H., psychiatric researcher and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, Columbia Psychiatry and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City; Roberto F. Lopez-Alberola, M.D., chief, pediatric neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Brian Kennedy, spokesman, Grocery Manufacturers Association; statement, International Food Information Council, March 30, 2011; CNN
Copyright © 2011 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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U.S. asks if food dyes make kids hyperactive
Fri, Mar 25 2011 from www.Reuters.com
By Lisa Richwine

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are weighing a question parents have asked since the 1970s: Do artificial food dyes make children hyperactive?

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A consumer group has petitioned the government to ban blue, green, orange, red and yellow food colorings. The synthetic dyes are common in food and drinks ranging from PepsiCo's Gatorade, Cheetos and Doritos to Kellogg's Eggo waffles and Kraft's Jell-O desserts.

Manufacturers say reviews by regulators around the world confirm the dyes are safe. The Center for Science in the Public Interest argues, however, there is plenty of data showing the dyes trigger hyperactivity in kids who are predisposed to it.
"There is convincing evidence that food dyes impair the behavior of some children," said Michael Jacobson, head of the consumer group famous for exposing the fat and calories in movie-theater popcorn and fast food.

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Jacobson and others will testify next week before a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee that will consider the question on Wednesday and Thursday. The FDA will hear the advisers' views before deciding whether to take any action, which could take months or years.

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FDA reviewers, in documents prepared for the advisory panel, said scientific research so far suggested some children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be affected by food coloring. The disorder affects up to 5 percent of U.S. children, according to government statistics.
"For certain susceptible children with ADHD and other problem behaviors, the data suggest their condition may be exacerbated" by substances in food including artificial colors, the FDA staff wrote in a preliminary analysis.
For the general population, the FDA "concludes that a causal relationship" between the dyes and hyperactivity "has not been established," the agency staff said.

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At the panel meeting next week, the FDA will ask outside experts if they agree with the agency's conclusions or if they think more studies are needed.

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Concerns about food dyes erupted in the 1970s when a pediatrician, Dr. Ben Feingold, claimed the colors were linked to hyperactive behavior and proposed a diet eliminating them.
Questions flared again after a 2007 British study of kids who drank fruit drinks with food colorings and preservatives.
The scientists concluded the colorings worsened hyperactive behavior and also affected kids not previously diagnosed withADHD.
Other researchers said the study had limitations. A 2009 review by European authorities concluded all data available at the time did not support a link between food colorings and hyperactivity.

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The 2008 petition from CSPI asked the FDA to ban all but one of the dyes, calling them "dangerous and unnecessary." The exception, Citrus Red No. 2, is used only on orange skins. Companies could substitute natural colors, fruit or fruit juices, CSPI said.

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The group also asked the FDA to require a warning on products containing dyes until a ban takes effect.

(Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
© Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved.

From: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com March 31, 2011.
Excerpt:
“The most recent studies to bring food dyes and ADHD back to the public eye was a 2007 project conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. It showed that artificial food dyes along with sodium benzoate (a white crystalline salt used as a food preservative) increased ADHD symptoms in both hyperactive and non-hyperactive children. That study was followed up by another paper in 2010 by the same researchers who looked at the connection between food dyes, ADHD and histamine, a chemical that’s produced in the brain when the body is having an allergic reaction.

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“We found mixtures of certain artificial colors together with sodium benzoate preservative in the diet increased the average level of hyperactivity in 3 and 8/9 year old children in the general population,” Dr. Jim Stevenson, a professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Southampton, and lead author of the study, testified Wednesday.
During the hearing, parents from all over the United States shared stories about their children with the committee. Renee Shutters, from Jamestown, New York, said her 5-year-old ,Trenton, who at the time was in preschool, was an unhappy child. “He just wasn’t comfortable with himself,” said Shutters. But after talking to another parent who said her child was having behavioral issues because he was allergic to a food dye, Shutters took action. “I went through my pantry and removed everything with dyes," declared Shutters.
“Now,” Shutters says, “Trenton is fine. After two days there was a huge change. Two weeks later he felt different, much happier and six weeks later, he was a new child.”
“To give my child an artificial dye would be child abuse!” exclaimed Maureen Lamm, a doctor and mother of three from Kennesaw, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. “He suffers that much when he eats foods with certain dyes.” Lamm has become so involved she offers a website, www.momsabcs.com, to parents to warn them about dye allergies.”

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ADHD and Food Additives

By Amanda Gardner

www.Health.com  2/6/2012

 Will eliminating dye-ng foods frts say there's not enough evidence to recommend this action, although a small subset of children may benefit.
e Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

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Blue No. 1

Also known as: Brilliant blue
What it is: A food coloring
Where you can find it: Frito-Lay Sun Chips French Onion and other Frito-Lay products; some Yoplait products; some JELL-O dessert products; Fruity Cheerios; Trix; Froot-Loops; Apple Jacks; Quaker Cap'N Crunch's Crunch Berries; some Pop-Tarts products; some Oscar Mayer Lunchables; Duncan Hines Whipped Frosting Chocolate; Edy's ice cream products; Skittles candies; Jolly Ranchers Screaming Sours Soft & Chew Candy; Eclipse gum; Fanta Grape soda

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Blue No. 2

Also known as: Indigotine
What it is: A food coloring
Where you can find it: Froot-Loops; Post Fruity Pebbles; Pop-Tarts products; Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Strawberry Supreme Premium Cake Mix; Betty Crocker Frosting Rich & Creamy Cherry; M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies; M&M's Milk Chocolate Peanut Candies; Wonka Nerds Grape/Strawberry; pet foods.

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Green No. 3

What it is: A food coloring
Where you can find it: Candy, beverages, ice cream, puddings

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Red No. 3

Also known as: Carmoisine
What it is: A food coloring found only in a few types of food products
Where you can find it: Candy, cake icing, chewing gum

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Sodium Benzoate

What it is: A food preservative
Where you can find it: Fruit juice, carbonated beverages, and pickles
You’ll find sodium benzoate in abundance in acidic foods. It is used to stymie the growth of microorganisms, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

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Red No. 40

Also known as: Allura red
What it is: A food coloring and the most widely used food dye in the U.S., trumping both Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6.
Where you can find it: Some Frito-Lay products; some Yoplait products; JELL-O Gelatin desserts; Quaker Instant Oatmeal; Trix; Froot-Loops; Apple Jacks; some Pop-Tart products; Kid Cuisine Kung Fu Panda products; Oscar Mayer Lunchables products; Hostess Twinkies; some Pillsbury rolls and frostings; some Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines frostings; and more

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Yellow No. 5

Also known as: Tartrazine
What it is: Yellow No. 5 is the only food dye that has been tested alone and not simply as part of a mix. Those studies did link it to hyperactivity. It is the second most commonly used dye in the U.S.
Where you can find it: Nabisco Cheese Nips Four Cheese; Frito-Lay Sun Chips Harvest Cheddar and other Frito-Lay products; some Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding products; Lucky Charms; Eggo waffles and other waffle products; some Pop-Tarts products; various Kraft macaroni and cheese products; Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper and other products.

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Yellow No. 6

Also known as: Sunset yellow
What it is: The third most widely used food dye in the U.S.
Where you can find it: Frito-Lay Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Crunchy and other Frito-Lay products; Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-ups; some JELL-O gelatin deserts and instant puddings; Fruity Cheerios; Trix; some Eggo waffle products; some Kid Cuisine Kung Fu Panda products; some Kraft macaroni and cheese dinners; some Betty Crocker frostings; some M&M’s and Skittles candies; Sunkist Orange Soda; Fanta Orange.

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*Note from Dr. Mac: If you wish to purchase dye-free, additive-free, toxin-free vitamins and supplements for your family, feel free to order from the same source where I purchase my childrens' health supplements. Quality products, good prices, cash back on orders, and a consultant named Cindy who really knows her stuff. Click here & search for vitamins and/or supplements.

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