Food additives and hyper kids: What's the link?

by Aimee Keenan-Greene

A Food and Drug Administration committee meets this week to determine if there is a connection between food coloring and hyperactivity in kids, and whether or not the continued use of added color is safe for consumers. 

As of yet no conclusive link has been made between color additives and hyperactivity in the general population, but the committee will review new evidence and could recommend additional studies and/or product label changes.  

In the 1970's pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Feingold first claimed there was a link between food color additives and children's behavior.
The National Institute of Health's 1982 Consensus Development panel on defined diets and childhood hyperactivity concluded that for some children with ADHD, and a confirmed food allergy, a change in diet led to some change in behavior.

The FDA says dyes and pigments are added to many drugs, cosmetics, and foods - from  cough syrup to cereal. They have been overseeing the use of food additives since the 1880's.

"Color additives are very safe when used properly," says Linda Katz, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Office of Cosmetics and Colors in FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). "There is no such thing as absolute safety of any substance. In the case of a new color additive, FDA determines if there is 'a reasonable certainty of no harm' under the color additive's proposed conditions of use."

There are two main categories of permitted color additives.  The first is 'certifiable' - meaning man-made -  derived primarily from petroleum and coal sources.  The FDA tests samples, certifies a batch and issues a certification lot number so the batch can be used legally in FDA-regulated products.

Certified color additives have special names consisting of a prefix, such as FD&C, D&C, or Ext. D&C; a color; and a number. An example is FD&C Yellow No. 6, often found in cereals, ice cream, and baked goods. Sometimes a color additive is identified by a shortened form of its name, consisting of just the color and number, such as Yellow 6.

In 2008 the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA to ban eight out of the nine certified color additives now regulated.

Other color additive category is 'exempt' from batch certification. These are obtained from plant, animal, or mineral sources and include caramel color and grape color extract. They are still artificial color additives and must comply with regulatory requirements and rigorous safety standards, according to the FDA.

The FDA says it is rare to have an allergic reaction to a color additive. However FD&C Yellow No. 5 may cause itching and hive. This color additive is widely found in beverages, desserts, processed vegetables, drugs, and makeup. On medicine labels, this certified color additive is identified by its uncertified name, 'tartrazine' .