FDA Reviews Food Coloring Linked to Hyperactivity in Kids
The question whether food dyes are linked to hyperactivity disorder in children has been lingering for a few decades now. The Food and Drug Administration was so far rejecting the issue; however, now it has agreed to go ahead with a review on the possible causative link between food dyes and hypersensitivity in kids or irritability, insomnia, and such some nonspecific behaviors. Its review panel held a two-day convention on the issue in response to a petition filed in 2008 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest seeking a ban on Red 40, Yellow 5, and six other dyes, saying that the dyes exist in food only to “trick consumers.” At the end of the two-day meeting, the advisory panel has recommended the agency to further conduct an assessment study to understand the causative link between food coloring and hyperactivity in kids, though ruling out the need for addition of package warnings for products containing dyes.
Scientists, doctors, researchers, and consumer representatives comprising the FDA review committee narrowly voted 8-6 against the demand for label warnings on food packages. However, the committee suggested that packages should list food colorings without putting any kind of warning label. The committee affirmed that there is lack of evidence to prove any kind of causative link between certain food dyes and attention deficit disorder in children. However, the panel agreed that foods eliminating dyes appear to work in the case of some children with behavior problems. The advisory committee agreed that hyperactivity and some behavioral problems may be aggravated by food dyes in "certain susceptible children."
The 14-member panel voted 13-1 against the proposal that doctors should recommend food-dye-free diets to parents of children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder); rather, it suggested that parents who think trying such diets might be helpful to their children should be supported. Citing lack of definitive information about the direct link between food dyes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the panel called for more research into the relation between food coloring and childhood hyperactivity by the National Institutes of Health.
Now the FDA will review the committee’s recommendations to decide further action. It remains unclear how many kids fall under the class of “certain susceptible children” and whether the FDA would continue to ignore such kids, who are exceptions to a major section of children unaffected by artificial dyes. Public health advocates believe that though dyes are not directly the underlying cause of hyperactivity, these do affect some children, which is enough of a cause to ban the additives.
Disappointed at the meeting’s conclusion, Michael Jacobson, the director of Center for Science in the Public Interest, criticized the panel for looking for “perfect scientific evidence” of the link between artificial dyes and colors and hyperactivity in kids. However, he said he was happy to note that the FDA gave recognition to the fact that it is a serious issue and accepted to conduct a review panel. Jacobson seeks warnings on food package labels so that parents can decide whether they would opt for buying that particular product for their kids knowing their possible side effects.
Parents who testified at the hearing affirmed that there is a causative link between food dyes and their kids’ behavior. They even brought along improved report cards of their kids, which affirmed that they had improved considerably after food dyes had been eliminated from their diet, saying that their decision to discontinue use of dyes had proved to be “life changing” for their kids. They urged the panel to recommend warning labels on food products so that parents know there might be a problem.
Consumer groups now ask how many more years does the FDA need in order to secure the required data on accurate numbers of kids affected by hypersensitivity, linked to food dyes. They argue that it is wrong to continue risking public health when some kind of link exists between food coloring and hyperactivity for some kids.
