Group petitions FDA to ban some food colorings (may cause hyperactivity and behavior problems)

[The Straight Story]

Group petitions FDA to ban some food colorings

WASHINGTON - A consumer advocacy group called on the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday to ban the use of eight artificial colorings in food because the additives may cause hyperactivity and behavior problems in some children.

Controlled studies conducted over three decades have shown that children's behavior can be worsened by some artificial dyes, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The group noted the British government is successfully pressuring food manufacturers to switch to safer colorings.

Over the years, the FDA has consistently disputed the center's assertion. The agency's Web site contains a 2004 brochure that asks the question: "Do additives cause childhood hyperactivity?"

"No. Although this hypothesis was popularized in the 1970's, well-controlled studies conducted since then have produced no evidence that food additives cause hyperactivity or learning disabilities in children," the agency said.

http://www.amny.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-food-dyes-fda,0,3418642.story

[LiberalEsto]

1. My kids used to bounce off the walls

any time they ate something blue like ice pops. I refused to allow blue-dyed junk food in the house.

[Wizard777]

4. That's odd. All the kids I know that have this problem. It's with red food coloring.

[LiberalEsto]

5. Different colors

can affect different kids.

"The colorings the center seeks to ban are: Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6."

[Wizard777]

7. Do your kids get violent from the coloring?

The kids I know that have the problem with red. It causes violent outburts with them. Without the red coloring they are the nicest most well behaved kids you will ever meet.

[LiberalEsto]

8. My kids are now adults

and haven't touched those colored goos in years. I can't recall any reaction to red dye but they definitely got extremely irritable with blue colored junk food.

[leftchick]

6. I avoid red and blue

as much as I can. my children no never to eat blue anything unless it is blueberries.

[mzteris]

2. really?

Wow, it took them this long to figure it out???

I knew it from the time my now 14yo son was 18 months. He was (and is) a very easy-going engaging child very very bright and interested in everything around him. We took him to the zoo in his stroller and he was extremely interested in the animals and happy and relaxed, etc.

We stopped to get a drink and my not-so-bright (and now my STBE) bought ICEES - and decided to Mix the BRIGHT BLUE and the BRIGHT RED in layers. yum.

About 15-20 minutes after drinking this, my son started screaming (not like scared just waa woooo lahhh), shaking his stroller, trying desperately to climb out of it. We took him out and it was like he was possessed or something, wanting to get down, wanting this, wanting that, babbling incessantly without much sense at all. WE thought he was having some sort of seizure or something. We tried everything to calm him, and finally decided we'd better just leave when suddenly - wham - he passed out asleep. When he woke up hours later, he was fine.

Since then I have severely restricted my children's access to ANYTHING with heavy red and/or blue dye. And no recurrence of that behaviour for him.

Another story about my other son (who is adopted so no "genetic trait link" here) - when he was 7 yo he went to baseball practice with his friends. They had a great practice. Batting, hitting, grounding, throwing, concentrating, etc. all VERY well . . . . They took a break because it was very hot (NC). Brad got his water bottle and the coach said - HEY, I brought GATORADE for everyone! (It was the very super bright red kind.) Brad begged, "please mom?" I figured hey he was at the park and running his butt off so any "hyperness" would wear off. The coach was confused as to why I was against the stuff. He pooh-poohed my thoughts about it. THEN . . .

the kids retook the field to finish practicing. They could barely hit, or catch. Their throwing was wild. They were giggling and running around and crawling around and definitely NOT focused and paying attention any longer. The only difference had been the gatorade.

The coach looked me after numerous attempts to get them to refocus and sighed, "maybe you have a point."

(FYI my kids do drink the colorless gatorade when playing sports with no problem.)

[Wizard777]

3. I've know a couple of kids that have violent reactions to red food coloring.

They're fine as long as they don't eat anything with red food coloring in it. But if they do they become violent.