My mum sent me a video where they described a study that found that ADHD symptoms improved when parents stopped giving their kids food with red food dye in it. I consulted the literature and couldn’t find the aforementioned study, but some studies say there is a link, but still lots of unknowns.
I wish she didn’t take health advice from random people on the internet. The psychiatrist they mentioned in the study is known to be a bit of a snake oil physician.
Oh man, what a blast from the past. My cousins got banned from red food dye back in the 80s and early 90s. One of them makes a point to down a bottle of red cordial when his mum visits just to rub it in her face lol.
You have unlocked a memory. I went to hotpot with a friend and we got imitation crab sticks because the other option was Spam. I ate enough imitation crab to last a lifetime.
Also, ‘red food colouring’ differs between countries/jurisdictions. What counts as ‘red food colouring’ in the USA and South America for example, is banned in Europe and Australia as being mildly carcinogenic. This happened back in the 1980s. Here we use a different compound for the purpose - eg annatto. So where and when was the original study done? Essential to know exactly WHICH red food colouring is the potential culprit. Also yellow food dye is similar situation. Was that in the original study???
Actually I think I know that study - it’s fairly famous for being deeply flawed in it’s methodology and interpretation of results. It also pre-dates the numerical code for additives that we see on labels nowadays. So it’s hard to actually compare to modern products however processed in this country.
My mum sent me a video where they described a study that found that ADHD symptoms improved when parents stopped giving their kids food with red food dye in it. I consulted the literature and couldn’t find the aforementioned study, but some studies say there is a link, but still lots of unknowns.
I wish she didn’t take health advice from random people on the internet. The psychiatrist they mentioned in the study is known to be a bit of a snake oil physician.
Oh man, what a blast from the past. My cousins got banned from red food dye back in the 80s and early 90s. One of them makes a point to down a bottle of red cordial when his mum visits just to rub it in her face lol.
The sugar, otoh…
First thing that comes to my mind anyway is: what kind of red-food-colouring food is NOT high in sugar?
Imitation crab sticks.
*has a quick squizz at the interwebble…
Hrmm no… lotsa sugar there too.
You have unlocked a memory. I went to hotpot with a friend and we got imitation crab sticks because the other option was Spam. I ate enough imitation crab to last a lifetime.
Maybe that’s why I’m so inattentive /s
Imitation crab is weirdly more-ish for me
Also, ‘red food colouring’ differs between countries/jurisdictions. What counts as ‘red food colouring’ in the USA and South America for example, is banned in Europe and Australia as being mildly carcinogenic. This happened back in the 1980s. Here we use a different compound for the purpose - eg annatto. So where and when was the original study done? Essential to know exactly WHICH red food colouring is the potential culprit. Also yellow food dye is similar situation. Was that in the original study???
Actually I think I know that study - it’s fairly famous for being deeply flawed in it’s methodology and interpretation of results. It also pre-dates the numerical code for additives that we see on labels nowadays. So it’s hard to actually compare to modern products however processed in this country.
also worth noting that red food dye in the US is usually hand in hand with massively oversugared foods.
It’s not the ADHD that’s being managed, it’s the sugar crack