I was glad to see your article. We have the same issue at our house. More and more people are starting to realized just what this stuff does. I have setup a facebook group to discuss just this. MAny people are seeingthe same issue. Please joinus on Facebook by searching for "Artificial Food Dye" or by following this link -> http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_212701462084640&ap=1
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2013 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
10 Medical Conditions That Share Symptoms With ADD/ADHD 
Quiz: Do You Have Adult ADHD? 
7 Behavior Modification Strategies for ADHD 
10 Myths About ADHD 
"Michael Jacobson from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (the organization which wants dyes banned) said, "Why accept any impairment of kids' behavior whatsoever? Hyperactivity isn't just running around. It affects their ability to have friends, to study, to have a happy family life. Why impair that?""
I'm angry about this. Over the years, I've talked with a number of people who react within hours of ingesting red dye with extreme hyperactivity. It's a real problem, but the effect is temporary. I feel Dr. Jacobson is manipulating the FDA and the public with this argument when he doesn't clarify that the effect is temporary and that avoiding ingestion red dye is NOT a treatment for AD/HD.
I would however like to see drug manufactures stop using red dye in medication.
grandma lise
Thanks for your comments. I agree it is temporary and that the argument he uses doesn't always hold weight, however, I would like to see red food coloring banned, but doubt that will happen. We will see tomorrow what the recommendations are. Today it was reported that the link between dyes and hyperactivity is weak.
Eileen
Hey Eileen,
It's strange to me that the link between red dye and hyperactivity is considered "weak" because the affect is reproducible in affected individuals.
Sounds like the pharmaceutical and food industries put pressure on the FDA. My friend whose daughter is highly sensitive to red dye told me years ago that there are other red dyes that didn't cause the extreme, but temporary hyperactive state in her daughter.
I suspect the argument posed is that it's inappropriate to ban a substance that affects such a small percentage of people. That said, I don't understand why the manufacturers don't switch to the non-offending dye. I can't imagine the cost is that much more.
grandma lise
I updated this post in Update: Food Colorings and ADHD, "The panel decided there was not enough evidence at this time to show that these products cause hyperactivity although they do believe that, in some children, the dyes can cause behavioral problems and eliminating dyes for these children can help improve behavior."
According to the panel, it is up to the parents to eliminate food dyes from a child's diet if there is a problem
Eileen
I'm not sure how I feel about this decision because as far as I know, no one has been harmed beyond suffering the temporary side effect.
I wonder how aware pediatricians and pharmacists are of this problem and if this reaction is listed in the Physician's Desk Reference (PDR). If there's not enough reseach, isn't it the FDA's role to require the drug manufactures to pay to have the research done?
grandma lise
Grandma Lise
I am also not sure how I feel about the decision. I am also not sure that it is true that there is only a temporary impact on children (and adults if there is still a sensitivity to food dyes) because of the mass amount of food dye in our foods. In other words, if children that do have behavioral issues from food dyes continue to have them, over and over, at every meal, in every snack, then the behavioral issues become the norm rather than a temporary situation. It would be interesting to see what happened if they were banned and no one ever ingested the artificial colorings again.
I think one of the issues is that parents are just not aware that it is possible to have behavioral issues from this and it is not accepted. I don't know about now, but 20 years ago doctors didn't believe me when I talked about this issue. Teachers didn't believe me and gave my son red foods even if I asked them not to. They thought I was making this up, that if my son misbehaved, I could just blame red food coloring rather than have him take responsibility. I don't know if it is different now.
Eileen
Yes, my friend had similar difficulties 30 years ago. The pediatrician didn't take her report seriously, and on occassion would prescribe a medication containing the problematic red dye for her daughter.
Have you thought about contacting the folks who brought this complaint forward Eileen? I've never understood why "sensitivities" aren't taken seriously. I think there are those who would be helped if they knew about this problem.
John F. Taylor, Ph.D. would include information about sensitivities in his books and lectures. It's interesting. I just spent an hour on Amazon looking at books on AD/HD (in an attempt to remember other authors who were educating the public about allergies, sensitivities and behavioral problems in the 90's). The market is being flooded with books on non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Last night I did some reading on orthomolecular medicine. What amazed me is that these clinicians are using diet and nutritional supplements to treat their patients while they're on medication, then after a few months, the psychiatrist begins to slowly reduce the patient's medication dosages. Some people need to continue taking their medication in lower dosages, while others are able to reduce the number of medications they're taking or eliminate them all together. Increasingly, I feel there's no one answer for these problems. I think it's up to us as individuals to become as informed as possible on ALL available treatments and to use what works. Pharmaceuticals have their place but I think they're over used.
I went from taking two to three medications a day for eight years with mixed results to taking no medication. I didn't get better until I began using diet and nutritional supplement strategies too. Today, I take medication, but not all the time, only when needed. And I take much smaller dosages.
When pharmeceutical companies cover up or ignore issues like red dye, they do themselves and us a disservice.
grandma lise
While I am not a big advocate of nutritional supplements (especially those you can buy in your grocery/drug store) because they are not regulated and because natural does not always mean safe and because many consumers are not aware of the possibility of side-effects and interactions with other medications, I do believe that there is something to be said about eating healthy, nutritious foods (without dye) and that simple things like exercise can really make a difference in your outlook, your stanima and your overall physical and mental health. I think supplements can be helpful if used in conjunction with someone who specializes and is knowledgeable about the different supplements and the correct doses and uses for each.
Eileen
Eileen, I agree, buyer beware. Anyone concerned about knowing what's in their nutritional supplements can subscribe to www.consumerlabs.com. I buy only from the most reputable vitamin manufacturers.
I can only speak from personal experience. Medication doesn't treat nutritional deficiencies, and some people, for a lot of different reasons, need more of specific nutrients, more than food alone can supply.
When I became an advocate 20 years ago, I believed and spoke as you just posted. My views have changed. I think medication is beneficial and encourage its use, but for many of us, it alone is not enough.
I personally did not stablize until I began taking a basic regimin of nutritional supplements in the mid- to late 90's in amounts that are not in any way considered controvercial. In fact, I'm willing to bet that many medical professionals take similar nutritional supplements because the research supports it.
My husband has been treated for atrial fibrulation for 15 years or more by an excellent cardiologist, and even so, despite consistantly taking some of the best medications available for his condition, his symptom continued worsen, though slowly.
In desperation, my husband began reading the research and found that magnesium is a known, effective treatment for atrial fibrulation. It took him months of trial and error to find the right magnesium, in the right dosage and method of administration, but he began having good results almost immediately.
And by the way, as far as we know, no medical or alternative clinicians are providing this treatment to patients. My husband worked closely with a Ph.D. who also has atrial fibrulation to figure out a regimin that works for him. What breaks my heart is that this treatment is not widely known or utilized and it worked for my husband and is still working.
Sadly, our current health care system is dominated by the pharmacuetical industry, which has it's place. That said, we've gone terribly wrong. What woke me up was having friends whose husband's are physicians. And guess what, many of them use a mix of traditional and alternative treatments for their families, not their patients, just their families.
I speak out about the benefits of nutritional supplements because my family has been helped by them.
Anyone considering taking nutritional supplements would be wise to read at least one book that is strongly research based on nutritional supplements and their effects on mind and body health so they're making informed choices.
Amazon is a good place to begin the search for a book. Take your time. Read all the reviews. And, again, try to find a book that is strongly research based.
grandma lise
I need to make one clarification. I continue to believe that stimulant medication is the most effective treatment for AD/HD. In my experience, nutritional supplements reduce other symptoms that sometimes accompany AD/HD.
For example, some women experience worsening of their AD/HD when their PMS kicks in during their monthly cycle. I find that if I take a calcium formulation that includes magnesium and if I also take a B-complex daily, within a month or so, my PMS symptoms are eliminated or are minimal. If I stop taking my vitamins, which I sometimes do, my PMS returns. If I don't resume my vitamins, the PMS continues to worsen each month. Here's an article from the Mayo Clinic that mentions calcium, magnesium, and B-6 as helpful in reducing PMS symptoms:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pmdd/AN01372
For more information, do a search on "nutritional supplements PMS".
Recent research on the benefits of taking a D3 vitamin supplement is so strong that doctors are now checking D vitamin levels in their patients and prescribing large doses to correct deficiencies.
Any AD/HD adult, who continues to have problematic symptoms despite taking medication may benefit from taking nutritional supplements. To learn more about the role of diet, nutritional supplements, and their impact on health, there are many research based books out there on this subject.
And here's something else to consider...for many years, I found it difficult to eat a healthy diet because of my symptoms, and this was during a period of my life when I'd been taking medication for AD/HD and anxiety for years. After I began to take nutritional supplements in addition to my medication, my symptoms were further reduced and over time I began eating a healthier diet.
I mention this because I hear over and over again about the importance of eating a healthy diet, and that nutritional supplements are not necessary if we eat a healthy diet. Well, for me at least, taking nutritional supplements was an important stepping stone in further reducing my symptoms so I was better able to eat healthier foods.
Something else that I find interesting is that cardiologists all include information on nutritional supplement strategies to improve heart health in their books. I do not understand why the idea of taking nutrional supplements continues to be controvercial for people with brain disorders. It just boggles my mind.
Read the current research.
grandma lise
I agree
There are so many medical conditions where diet plays a big role in treatment, heart disease, diabetes, etc, but science doesn't seem to have the information on how diet plays a role in the functioning of the brain. (Even though schools will tell you how important healthy breakfast is for children) Maybe someday....
Eileen
Apologies for the grumpy posts. I've been having a very frustrating week, and I'm sure that's coming through in my posts...
I can't speak specifically to diet but there's a lot of research on nutritional supplements and it's affects on the brain and brain disorders. One book that I read many years ago was Your Miracle Brain http://www.amazon.com/Your-Miracle-Brain-Brainpower-Creativity/dp/0060984406/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302885775&sr=1-1 by Jean Carper, former Medical Correspondent for CNN. Jean's written about the benefits of diet for more than 25 years for well respected and widely read, national publications. In this particular book, she reviewed the research on the use of nutrition supplements to reduce symptoms of specific brain disorders to improve brain function. It was from her that I learned why the nutritional supplements that I had been taking worked to reduce the symptoms that the medication I took did not.
The reason I refer people to books Eileen is because many people can afford a book and perhaps some nutritional supplements, but not a naturopath at $87/half-hour appointment or lab work if they don't have health insurance.
Eileen, let me tell you a story...
I have an old friend who grew up in a single parent household. Incredibly, her mother regularly heard voices, but the mother was also bright and somehow my friend and her brother and sister all coped growing up.
My friend went on to college, became a teacher, married and had two beautiful boys. The first son was severely hyperactive; the second was completely normal and was my son's best friend from the time they were age 4.
My friend began seeking treatment for her hyperactive son by age 3. To give you an idea of how hyperactive he was, my friend recalled how one morning she awoke to find her young son in the middle of the living room floor with a bottle of syrup that he was drinking. It of course was all over him and the carpet too, as he was quite young. He had climbed the kitchen cabinetry and gotten the syrup out of an upper cabinet. I could tell you many more stories like this.
Despite the medication and behavior modification approaches they used throughout his childhood, he was a behavior problem at school, and I can't recall if he graduated or not. All that said, during his pre-adolescent and adolescent years when I knew him, he was intelligent, polite, well mannered, pleasant, and funny. His problems were mainly due to his extreme impulsivity and inability to respond appropriately to authority figures, primarily in school.
I was an AD/HD advocate, and encouraged her to switch from the pediatrician they'd been working with to a child psychiatrist. She did. The first psychiatrist put her son on an SSRI which triggered a hypomanic episode in which he couldn't sleep, would sneak out regularly at night and began vandalizing property. They then tried working with a second psychiatrist and counselor who treated both the mother for anxiety and the son for AD/HD, but by that time the son's behavior had escalated to the point where they had to send him away to a home that was highly structured. It was expensive but it helped.
Around that time or sometime after, can't remember now, their other son had entered into his adolescent years and fell into a severe depression and I believe was hospitalized once or twice. Yet more family counselling followed. At this point, the older son was doing better but the younger son was a mess.
That was the breaking point for her.
She went on to learn everything she could about orthomolecular medicine, began treating her family with nutritional supplements, resumed her teaching career, and wrote two books: Solving the Mystery of AD/HD http://www.amazon.com/Solving-Mystery-ADHD-Linda-Santini/dp/097289697X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302884386&sr=1-3 which has been out of print for some time, and The Secrets of Recovery From Mental Illness: A Mother's Guide http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Recovery-Mental-Illness-Mothers/dp/1419699253/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302884386&sr=1-1
Today, her oldest son is in his late 20's, is working, and is living on his own in a large city and doing well. Her youngest son is now in his early 20's, is working, and not sure if he's at home or on his own now, but is doing great. I see him every few months or so. My friend alternates between teaching and educating the public about orthomolecular medicine today.
I don't know if any of them are taking medication today. They credit their recovery to nutritional supplements.
I've known this family almost 20 years. My son spent a lot of time in their home. And their son spent a lot of time in our home. The parents are both highly responsible, well educated, and have always been loving to their children. They, like many AD/HD families, utilized all traditional and accepted treatments available to them without much progress or success. It wasn't until they began taking nutritional supplements under the guidance of orthomolecular medicine specialists Abrahm Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., known for his successful treatment of many patients with schizophrena and other serious mental illnesses and who recently passed away, and others, that their family was able to begin their recovery, recover, and resume or in the case of the two son's, begin their lives.
Again, I strongly believe that stimulant medication is the most effective treatment for AD/HD, but for those of us who do not get adequate relief from medication alone, there are other options.
There are many research-based books that overview the role of nutritional supplements - (and I'm sure diet) - in reducing unwanted symptoms and improving brain function. There is also a lot of information published about orthomolecular medicine. It's been around for 50 or more years I believe. I don't have specific books to recommend, though I read two of the above mentioned books and found them to be both quite good and informative, but I have looked on Amazon and see that there are many books available. I just haven't read any more because I'm doing really well now. Oh, and my son is doing great by the way. He's graduating in May with a bachelors degree in the sciences.
grandma lise