A Rainbow of Danger

[Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist]

I'm currently researching food coloring additives and their dangers. I've come across a couple that seem like there's no concrete evidence for just how dangerous they are, but we should still be scared of them anyway. I'm not the one for fearmongers, only facts. So, I would appreciate it if anyone came to my rescue and told me what they knew about popular color additives and even ones we don't use anymore. 

[Phi for All]

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Moderator Note

We don't need a speculative approach to this conversation. There have been studies on this, so I'm moving this to Applied Chemistry.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23026007/

Quote

This review finds that all of the nine currently US-approved dyes raise health concerns of varying degrees.

 

[Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist]

Sorry, I'm not that accustomed to how the topics work yet. Thanks though. I've actually seen this article, but I didn't know if I should trust it since it's over 10 years old. Didn't know if it was outdated or not. 

[Phi for All]

13 minutes ago, Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist said:

I've actually seen this article, but I didn't know if I should trust it since it's over 10 years old. Didn't know if it was outdated or not. 

Aren't we still using those same dyes and colorants? I found a current list from the FDA:

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-and-gras-ingredients-information-consumers/types-food-ingredients

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FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2, annatto extract, beta-carotene, grape skin extract, cochineal extract or carmine, paprika oleoresin, caramel color, fruit and vegetable juices, saffron (Note: Exempt color additives are not required to be declared by name on labels but may be declared simply as “artificial color” or “color added”.

 

[Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist]

1 hour ago, Phi for All said:

Aren't we still using those same dyes and colorants?

You're right. I was told to always look for newer articles because the research is more likely to be more accurate than something from a long time ago. I probably took it a little too seriously 😅 Thanks for your help.

[CharonY]

3 hours ago, Phi for All said:

Aren't we still using those same dyes and colorants? I found a current list from the FDA:

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-and-gras-ingredients-information-consumers/types-food-ingredients

 

I think red 3 was banned recently.

 

1 hour ago, Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist said:

You're right. I was told to always look for newer articles because the research is more likely to be more accurate than something from a long time ago. I probably took it a little too seriously 😅 Thanks for your help.

In many areas I don't think that this is true as a whole, it depends on the specific article and the authors. Generally speaking, older studies have a better chance to be validated or invalidated. What you would do is to see which papers are citing the study and what their (updated) conclusions are. It is less of an issue in the field of toxicology (for the most part). But in other areas I have noticed that in newer papers folks only cite within the last 5 to maybe 10 years. These are often younger researchers and in more than one (or a dozen) occasions, I found that they kept re-inventing the wheel, because they were not aware of older findings where the same effect was already shown.

[Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist]

37 minutes ago, CharonY said:

But in other areas I have noticed that in newer papers folks only cite within the last 5 to maybe 10 years. These are often younger researchers and in more than one (or a dozen) occasions, I found that they kept re-inventing the wheel, because they were not aware of older findings where the same effect was already shown.

Got it! Are there any reputable sources I should seek out for my studies? And just how far back should I look in general? And yes, red 3 was banned. The FDA is giving companies until 2027-2028 to remove it from their products.

Edited 23 hours ago by Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist
Confirming an earlier response

[CharonY]

1 hour ago, Sarae.the.wannabe.chemist said:

Are there any reputable sources I should seek out for my studies?

There are many, my general suggestion is to look for so-called reviews, i.e. articles that summarize past articles. A good exercise is to look for a few recent ones and then a few about a decade back. Understanding what has changed in that time frame should be helpful. In this area, the important aspects would be a potential change in long-term effects and especially association with cancer that are likely going to add more info.