- Temper tantrums in up to a quarter of young children
could be caused by food colourings added to popular brands.
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- A government-funded study has established a link between
colourings added to food and changes in children,s mood and behaviour.
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- The effect of food additives were tested on 277 three-year-olds
over the course of a month. For two weeks, the children drank fruit juice
dosed with a total of 20mg of the artificial food colourings Tartrazine
(E102), Sunset Yellow (E110), Carmoisine (E122) and Ponceau 4R (E124),
and the preservative Sodium Benzoate (E211). For the other two weeks, the
children drank a placebo fruit juice, identical in appearance but without
the additives.
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- The test dose of colourings administered in the trial
was well below levels permitted in children,s food and drinks.
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- The parents, who were unaware what drink had been given,
then filed reports assessing behaviour such as interrupting, concentration,
disturbing others, difficulty settling down to sleep, fiddling with objects
and temper tantrums.
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- The researchers concluded that "significant changes
in children's hyperactive behaviour could be produced by the removal of
food colourings and additives from their diet."
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- They added: "The findings of the present study suggest
that benefit would accrue for all children from such a change, and not
just for those already showing hyperactive behaviour or who are at risk
of allergic reactions."
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- The research was carried out at the UK's Asthma and Allergy
Research Centre between 1999 and 2000, on the Isle of Wight.
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- The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which inherited responsibility
for the research from the now defunct Ministry of Agriculture Food and
Fisheries, said yesterday that although the study was "in line with
previous reports by other organisations, independent medical and scientific
experts agree that the evidence and conclusions of this research are still
not conclusive and it still remains an area of significant scientific uncertainty".
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- A spokeswoman added: "The study was rejected from
a number of peer reviewed publications. To date, it has not been published
in a peer reviewed journal."
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- However, the Food Commission, which campaigns for the
right to eat wholesome food, has called for additives to be removed from
children,s foods and drink.
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- Annie Seelie, a nutritionist at the commission, which
has published the research in its Food magazine, said: "Nearly 40
per cent of children,s food and drinks contain additives. Colourings are
used to make products look especially appealing to children.
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- "Now that a link between these colourings and disruptive
behaviour has been proved, we should remove these additives from children,s
foods and drinks."
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- Kath Dalmeny, a research officer at the Food Commission,
added: "Countries such as Sweden and Denmark have issued guidelines
on some of these colourings and manufacturers in these countries do not
tend to use them.
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- "However consumers in these countries are becoming
worried that they are coming in through exports."
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- A spokeswoman for the Food and Drink Federation, which
represents the industry, said the organisation was in agreement with the
FSA that the results of the study were not conclusive.
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- She said: "The use of additives is extremely regulated
and there is no reason for consumers to be concerned. They certainly should
not be shying away from buying their favourite foods."
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- Mike Webber, the director of the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate
and Confectionery Alliance, added: "All of these additives go through
vigorous approval procedures at international, European and national levels.
To get a new additive on the list, you have to go through all sorts of
hoops to establish its safety.
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- "Additives have an important job to do and they
help to ensure safety, consistency and quality.
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- "Consumers prefer products to have colour and do
not like things with drab colours, and this is an important aspect of quality.
Preservatives also keep products fresh for longer."
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- But Nick Giovanelli, of the charity Hyperactive Children,s
Support Group, said: "We see a growing number of children each year
and over the last 25 years, we have helped hundreds of thousands of children.
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- " If a child has behavioural problems, the first
thing we advise is that additives should be removed from their diet.
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- "In a third of cases, the parents are quite amazed
at the effect. In another third of cases, it may be that a child has an
allergy to a natural chemical found in food and in the remaining third
of children medication or alternative therapies may be needed."
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- SWEET TOOTH PICK A COLOUR
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- Food colourings are present in 93 per cent of sweets,
78 per cent of children,s desserts and 42 per cent of children,s milkshakes,
according to research published earlier this year by the food firm Organix.
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- The study on the Isle of Wight looked at four artificial
colourings - (E102), (E110), (E122) and (E124). Researchers also studied
the preservative Sodium Benzoate (E211).
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- The Food Commission has compiled a list of 200 children,s
foods and drinks that contain these additives.
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- Among the most common products to contain Sodium Benzoate
are fizzy drinks such as Diet Coke, Orangina and Lucozade. Ribena also
contains the same preservative.
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- As well as Sodium Benzoate, Irn Bru also contains Sunset
Yellow and Ponceau 4R.
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- A Harry Potter Hogwarts Cookie Kit, from Kerry Foods,
and Monsters Inc cake, from Nestle, come complete with Carmoisine and Ponceau
4R. And while a Bob the Builder cake and Spiderman cake, from Lightbody,
have these two colourings they also have the added ingredient of Sunset
Yellow.
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- Winegums contain Carmoisine and Rowntree,s Jelly Tots
and Fruit Pastilles have Ponceau 4R and Sunset Yellow in them.
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- 3D cheesy corn snacks from Walkers contain Sunset Yellow.
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- <http://www.scotsman.com>©2002 scotsman.com
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- http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=1185042002
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