Food dyes found in dozens of family-favorite snacks can cause severe bowel disease, scientists warn.
Red 40, also known as Allura Red, is found in several popular candies, sodas, and chips, including Doritos, Skittles, Pepsi, as well as baked goods and cake mixes.
However, researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, have found that the additive can interfere with the gut’s ability to absorb nutrients, water and electrolytes, increasing the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease. discovered.
They say that weakened body defenses can make you more susceptible to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Although the study was done in mice, the researchers say the findings translate to humans in Western countries, where diets typically contain a lot of food coloring.
Red 40, also known as Allura Red, is found in several popular candies, sodas, and chips, including Doritos, Skittles, Pepsi, as well as baked goods and cake mixes.
“These findings have important implications for the prevention and management of intestinal inflammation,” said principal investigator Dr. Wariul Khan.
“Our findings are surprising and alarming, as this common synthetic food dye can cause IBD.”
Here are the findings: It was published Published in Nature Communications.
Inflammatory bowel diseases such as colitis and Crohn’s disease, chronic diseases that cause inflammation in the digestive tract, are estimated to affect approximately 3 million Americans.
However, the main caveat of this study is that the human diet would have to contain more Red-40 than recommended to see the kind of results reported in mice.
Mice receiving Red 40 only intermittently did not have an increased incidence of colitis. This suggests that only humans who occasionally consume foods and drinks containing Red 40 are affected.
Food coloring use has increased over the past 100 years, but there are few studies on its effects on the gut.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of food coloring in foods and cosmetics, setting a recommended daily limit of 7 mg per kg of body weight.
Still, the chemicals in dyes are associated with a myriad of conditions.
As part of the study, McMaster scientists fed a mouse model with Allura Red dye for 12 weeks.
They found that the additive increased serotonin production in the colon, disrupted gut bacteria, and caused cases of colitis, a chronic disease that causes ulcers and ulcers in the digestive tract. .
Sometimes referred to as the “happiness hormone,” serotonin is often talked about for its effects on the brain. Low levels of hormones are usually a factor in depressed patients.
But in fact, it’s the gut that produces 95% of the total serotonin in the body.
In the gut, serotonin regulates the normal rhythmic movements of the intestinal muscles, helping to move intestinal contents along the way.
Researchers screened several common synthetic colorants in a model of human enterochromaffin (EC) cells.
It affects the colon and rectum and can cause a variety of inflammation-related problems such as abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhea, dehydration, and bloody stools.
Dr. Khan said: “The literature suggests that consumption of Allura Red may also affect behavioral problems in children, such as certain allergies, immune disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.”
Research suggests a link between food coloring consumption and hyperactivity in children.
An analysis of studies commissioned by the State of California in April 2021 found that 16 out of a total of 25 studies on this topic linked food coloring with neurobehavioral problems, especially attention problems such as children with attention deficits. An association with exacerbation has been reportedly identified. Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Other Behavioral Consequences”.
Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 contains benzidenepossibly a human and animal carcinogen allowed at safe levels of dyes.
In 1985, the FDA calculated that ingesting free benzidine raised the risk of cancer to just below the “concern” threshold, or 1 cancer per million.
