Did you ever think that food coloring could make you sick?
Did you know it may contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Psoriasis? But, food coloring can’t be that bad right? It is in everything… your kids have it in nearly all of the processed foods they eat. Nearly every kids birthday cake and cupcake is bright purple, pink or blue. What about that “reveal cake?” You know the cake that you had made to let everyone know the sex of your baby. If you’re like most people, you probably have a vague notion artificial food coloring is “bad.” You’ve also probably heard it makes some kids hyperactive. But did you know the science on artificial food dyes is so thorough and damning that they are banned in two European countries, require warning labels throughout the European Union (and are hence little used), and that Wal-Mart, Coca Cola, and Kraft in Britain don’t use them?
I don’t know about you, but when I started learning about artificial food coloring, my first reaction was denial. After all, there is no way that the FDA would allow manufacturers to put things in my food that are bad, right? Lets explore this idea a little more closely:
- The FDA was started in 1906 to protect the public from consuming harmful products.
- Over the past few decades, the FDA has come under a lot of criticism for being influenced by big business. Big business = big money.
- The FDA is responsible for determining food safety. Let’s look at this closer. These are several foods allowed by the FDA in the US,butbanned by several governments. (Google them if you want to learn morespecificsonproductstheyare used in,wheretheyarebanned,andwhytheyarebanned.)
- Ingredients: Coloring agents (blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6)
- Ingredient: Olestra (aka Olean)
- Ingredient: Brominated vegetable oil (aka BVO)
- Ingredient: Potassium bromate (aka brominated flour)
- Ingredient: Azodicarbonamide
- Ingredients: BHA and BHT
- Ingredients: Synthetic hormones (rBGH and rBST)
- Ingredient: Arsenic
- Ingredients: Diphenylamine (aka DPA)
- Have you heard of the arthritis drug Vioxx? In 2004 it was pulled from the shelves due to causing stroke and heart attacks. there were 2 million people taking it… wow. Unfortunately there are tons of examples like this regarding prescription drugs.
What do Europeans know that we don’t? Actually, they have access to the same science we do, only apparently they take it more seriously. The good news is that, thanks to pressure from consumers in the know, food giant Nestle is leading the way by voluntarily removing food dyes from its chocolate candies by the end of 2015.
So what’s the big deal with food coloring? Are the risks for real or is it just a bunch of hype?
Immunologist Aristo Vojdani, PhD, outlines the various health risks and disorders associated with food colorings in one of his many published papers, and in his upcoming book, When Food Turns Against You.
The ways in which artificial food colorings have been found to be harmful:
* Food coloring is linked to hyperactivity and ADHD. This is one of the most commonly known health consequences associated with food dyes.
* The caramel coloring used in soft drinks has been found to pose a cancer risk.
* Many people, children especially, consume far more food coloring than has been measured for safety. A bowl of colored cereal exceeds the amount of food coloring that has been found to cause behavioral issues in some children.
* Artificial food coloring binds to proteins in foods it is added to. Human digestive enzymes cannot break down many of these proteins once they are bound to food coloring. This creates intestinal inflammation and damage, leading to leaky gut.
* Food coloring also binds to human tissue and proteins in the blood. This is what turns kids’ lips and tongues bright colors after they eat a lollipop or snow cone. Human autopsies have revealed entire colons dyed blue or green due to food coloring. The problem is the immune system does not recognize human tissue once it is bound to food coloring and it may begin to attack the tissue. This can lead to permanent autoimmunity to that organ or tissue. Also, once these colors are bound to cells in the body, those cells can no longer function properly.
* Food coloring causes allergic reactions in some people, causing a runny nose, hives, welts, and neurological reactions.
* Food coloring can lead to a breakdown in oral tolerance, or the ability of the immune system to tell friend from foe. This can result in increased food and chemical sensitivities. Could this lead to, or be an autoimmune disease trigger?
These are just some of the ways artificial food colorings, which are made from petroleum, adversely affect human health. Although food manufacturers prefer artificial colors over natural ones because they mix easily, are cheaper, and more stable, they are just not worth the cost to our health or that of our children.
Food dyes are not just in obvious things such as candies and sodas. They lurk in salad dressings, pickles, crackers, meats (particularly tandoori chicken), desserts, medications, soaps, cosmetics, lotions, toothpastes, and other products.
A vitally important step as you transition to a whole foods diet is to eliminate all artificial colorings and other additives from your diet and from the products you use on your body.
Hopefully you have learned something new about how to live and be healthy. If you have difficulty with your health and need some guidance give us a call. I am accepting patients for in office care and via telemedicine. I work with patients around the world via skype, so distance is no longer an issue.
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Warm regards,
Dr. Brad Shook, DC, BCIM
