The Hidden Health Risks of Food Dyes

By Milton Stokes, M.P.H., R.D., "Live or Let Dye," November/December 2010

How bad is Red 40 and more synthetic dyes?

READER'S COMMENT:

"The last statement in the article is misleading. Artificial color does not implicitly mean it was derived from nature or that it is natural. If it did, it'd be called natural colors! Bear in mind that at least one naturally derived color...

COMMENTS	POSTED
The last statement in the article is misleading. Artificial color does not implicitly mean it was derived from nature or that it is natural. If it did, it'd be called natural colors! Bear in mind that at least one naturally derived color is known to be potentially harmful/fatal to some people, and that's "carmine", a.k.a. cochineal extract, which is most often labeled as "Color Added". Don't know what that is? Crushed beetles -- essentially it's beetle juice. GROSS! — Anonymous	09/12/2012 - 12:16pm
These chemicals are derived from petroleum products. Originally, they were extracted from - burned coal - but now have more refined techniques to synthesize them from petroleum byproducts. Sounds like something we should put into food to me. I'm an adult who has issues with concentration after consuming these chemicals - so I'm certain that these can have these affects on kids. — Anonymous	11/20/2010 - 9:32am
We have completely eliminated any and all food/drink containing synthetic dyes from our son's diet and have noticed a definite difference for the better regarding his adhd symptoms. — Anonymous	11/10/2010 - 1:56pm
This is why prgrams like www.feingold.org are so important. — Anonymous	10/19/2010 - 11:17am