FDA Panel Says No Support for Linking Food Dyes, Hyper Kids

[HuckleB]

http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/ADHD-ADD/25660

"The FDA's Food Advisory Committee has voted 11-3 that there is not enough evidence to conclude that artificial dyes used to color foods contribute to hyperactivity in children.

But the panel -- which included outside experts in nutrition, environmental health, toxicology, food science, immunology, and psychology -- didn't rule out that food coloring might have a negative behavioral effect on kids. The committee agreed that more studies need to be done, and split over whether thousands of food products that contain dyes should have to carry labels warning there may be some risk of consuming the chemical coloring.

The FDA does not have to follow the advice of its advisory committees, but it often does.

But the committee's negative assessment of the studies linking dye to hyperactivity in kids means that juices, candies, cereals, yogurts, and hundreds of other everyday foods will likely maintain their brighter-than-bright hues.

..."

-----------------------------------


Interesting. There is much more in article than in these four short opening paragraphs...

[ixion]

1. A round of Red #5 for everyone!

:toast:

...

:sarcasm:

[HuckleB]

2. Uh, ok.

:shrug:

[WatsonT]

3. I wonder if increasing the portion of sugar in the diet at the same time

we're decreasing the amount of physical activity has anything to do with it?


Kids go to school where there is no real PE any more due to lawsuit fears, they sit in a desk all day then they get home and are plopped in front of a TV/computer until they go to sleep.

And then we struggle with this great mystery: why do they fidget so much?

Also what's the deal with the sudden upsurge of diabetes and childhood obesity?

It boggles the mind. Must be some dye, or vaccines maybe.

[HuckleB]

4. I hope some studies on activity levels start happening.

We're definitely limiting play time with the elimination of recesses and PE at many schools. Further, adding homework to the lives of first-graders and kindergartners further erodes possible time for play.

As for sugar and ADHD, the evidence doesn't indicate that sugar is a factor:

"Sugar. The idea that refined sugar causes ADHD or makes symptoms worse is popular, but more research discounts this theory than supports it. In one study, researchers gave children foods containing either sugar or a sugar substitute every other day. The children who received sugar showed no different behavior or learning capabilities than those who received the sugar substitute.8 Another study in which children were given higher than average amounts of sugar or sugar substitutes showed similar results.9
In another study, children who were considered sugar-sensitive by their mothers were given the sugar substitute aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet. Although all the children got aspartame, half their mothers were told their children were given sugar, and the other half were told their children were given aspartame. The mothers who thought their children had gotten sugar rated them as more hyperactive than the other children and were more critical of their behavior, compared to mothers who thought their children received aspartame.10"

From: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index.shtml

[xchrom]

12. +1

[HuckleB]

5. Someone unrecced, and I know it's common to whine about unrecs, but why would anyone unrec this?

:shrug:

[laconicsax]

6. You must have offended someone's religion. n/t

[mzteris]

7. bullsh*t... n/t

[HuckleB]

8. A, well, nope.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

9. You've convinced me!

So eloquent!

[mzteris]

11. well, you know I could list examples, but

but they'd be dismissed as "personal anecdotes" so why freaking bother?

The people who agree don't need convincing, and those who don't refuse to listen.

[laconicsax]

13. Anecdote isn't the singular form of data. n/t

[EvolveOrConvolve]

14. You know that anecdotes are not scientific - you've been in the trenches here for a long time

If you have studies refuting the information in the OP, please post them.

[laconicsax]

10. Well said!

:rofl:

[cleanhippie]

15. Agreed.

Your post is nothing but.