SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) -Brightly colored processed foods are the result of added dyes.
The FDA is now weighing the impact these additives have on behavior disorders in kids. Some studies show the food dyes make disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder worse, but others disagree.
There is a petition to ban eight different food dyes commonly found in processed foods. The Food and Drug Administration reviewed it last September. They concluded the synthetic dyes do not cause the disorder, but did not rule out the possibility they exacerbate behavioral problems. In a two day meeting, an FDA advisory committee is discussing the strength of the evidence. The members will try to determine if warning labels should be placed on food products that contain the dyes, or if more research is needed.
Julie Erbacher, a Registered Dietician at the University of Utah Health and Wellness Center says the studies have been inconclusive so far. She says it’s difficult to study all of the variables. "There's a lot of variables that we need to look, at and a lot of study designs that maybe flawed. We need to do more research."
Experts say it is difficult to link hyperactivity to food dyes or additives because most processed foods contain more than one.
Erbacher says parents should look at their child’s overall diet, not just food coloring. "They also need to look at how many packaged processed foods their children are eating on a daily basis, how much sugar they are consuming."
She says children are also variables. Some tolerate processed foods better than others. "Two kids from the same family, maybe both with ADHD, and one could be sensitive to a certain dye, and the other one may not be."
Erbacher says if parents are concerned food dyes may be contributing to their child’s behavioral disorders there is no harm in avoiding them. In fact, she says if families want to avoid the problem altogether they should eat more fresh foods, such as vegetables, fruit, and dairy.
The European Union has already placed warning labels on food containing artificial colors indicating it could cause behavior problems in children.
