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(Health Secrets Newsletter) There are a few different types of food coloring additives, but they are all used mostly to make high-calorie, low-nutrition foods appear healthy and appealing to the eye. The toxic potential of most food coloring is still controversial and complex. Many including Dr. Alexander Weil and the State of California, have long claimed that food coloring additives are toxic or carcinogenic, and research is now coming in that proves this to be so.
Independent scientists have linked artificial food coloring additives to the hyperactivity and behavioral disorders that result in special education labels, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and to the diagnosis of Emotionally Disturbed. This means food coloring chemicals can alter brain function.
Caramel and carmine
Caramel food coloring comes two ways. Synthetic caramel coloring found in Pepsi, Coke and most other cola drinks has had a lot of bad press lately because it has been found to be highly carcinogenic. Now the state of California demands each cola manufacturer using the fake caramel coloring display a cancer warning label on its cans and bottles. There is enough other bad press overall to force more color additive manufacturers into using natural plant extracts instead of synthetic chemicals. Real caramel coloring that is made from burnt sugar is in almost any brown liquid including whiskey, brown gravies, and many soy sauces and balsamic vinegars. It’s also used in many junk food items from cookies to potato chips.
Caramel food coloring comes two ways. Synthetic caramel coloring found in Pepsi, Coke and most other cola drinks has had a lot of bad press lately because it has been found to be highly carcinogenic. Now the state of California demands each cola manufacturer using the fake caramel coloring display a cancer warning label on its cans and bottles. There is enough other bad press overall to force more color additive manufacturers into using natural plant extracts instead of synthetic chemicals. Real caramel coloring that is made from burnt sugar is in almost any brown liquid including whiskey, brown gravies, and many soy sauces and balsamic vinegars. It’s also used in many junk food items from cookies to potato chips.
While the synthetic caramel coloring chemical is undoubtedly worse, real caramel coloring made from burnt sugar doesn’t get a free pass. Food burnt or charred can be carcinogenic due to its acrylamidecontent. The FDA acknowledges the toxic potential of acrylamide in large doses, but considers the acrylamide’s from burnt sugar content insignificant. No surprise there!
Carmine or cochineal is a mash made from crushed beetles stripped off cacti in lower Mexico and South America. Formerly used only to create red fabrics, it’s now an FDA approved food color additive.Some people can have extreme allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock resulting in coma or death, from consuming carmine. When you see carmine on your strawberry yogurt’s list of ingredients, know that you’re eating beetle juice yogurt.
Truly natural color additives
Natural plant based extracts have begun to emerge as food color additives. Annatto, a yellow-orange extract from the seeds of a tropical shrub, is often used for cheese and conventional butter. It can cause allergic reactions for some, usually hives but sometimes worse.Anthocyanin is an extract from various red and purple plant sources. Beta carotene, chlorophyll, paprika, red beets, saffron, and turmeric are obvious plant sources of coloring.Food color additive companies are filing patents for their extracts with these colors. Getting exclusive patent rights may involve a little chemical tweaking.
Petroleum based food colors
FDA approved chemical food colors are indicated by the letters FD&C (Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics) and are the approved synthetic colors. As of 2007, the following seven were FDA approved for any food: Blue #1, Blue #2, Green #3, Red #3, Red #40, Yellow #5, and Yellow #6. Many of these are banned in Europe.The State of California, Dr. Weil and many teachers and school psychologists think they should be banned too. Currently, because of many complaints from parents and pediatricians and educators, the FDA is investigating the effect of synthetic food colorings on adolescents and children.
But thus far, the FDA has rejected food coloring health danger claims, even overruling their own scientists who urged banning Red #3 in 1983.For more information:http://www.npr.org/2011/03/30/134962888/fda-probes-link-between-food-…http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htmhttp://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/2991.html
http://www.iatp.org/files/421_2_105204.pdf
FDA Panel to Consider Warnings for Artificial Food Colorings
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/health/policy/30fda.html
