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Food Dyes - Revealing the TRUTH about their Health Effects and Fact-Checking RFK Jr.

Updated: 4 days ago

You can listen to the video version of this article here.

 

Today, I'm going to discuss the research on artificial food dyes, which have become a hot topic since RFK Jr. declared war on them. Before I get into the science, I will briefly discuss who he is and the role of the HHS Secretary. Later on, I will talk about why more oversight of color additives in foods is warranted, and I will also give examples of foods that contain artificial dyes that will surprise you. Artificial food dyes are everywhere, even on fruit, so we all need to be paying attention to the research and legislation surrounding this topic.


Who is RFK Jr.?

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also goes by RFK Jr., is an attorney who has dedicated the bulk of his career to protecting and restoring the environment. In April of 2023, he declared his candidacy for the democratic presidential nomination.  Later that year, in October, he switched to running as an independent candidate. He continued his campaign up until August of 2024, when he pulled out of the race and endorsed Donald Trump. Then, this past November, Trump announced that he would be nominating Kennedy to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

 

And then, there was an uproar.

 

It goes without saying that many people were not happy with him potentially becoming the nation’s top healthcare leader, mainly because he is a staunch vaccine skeptic. But, today’s article will not be about vaccines. Today, I’m going to discuss Mr. Kennedy’s comments on the American food supply, specifically, how “toxic” it is thanks to the overabundance of artificial food dyes.

 

Before we get into his comments, let’s do a quick overview of the position that RFK Jr. has been nominated for.

 

What does the HHS Secretary do?

 

The HHS Secretary is one 26 members of The Cabinet of the United States. The Cabinet consists of the Vice President, 15 executive department heads, and 10 Cabinet-level officials. The Department of Health and Human Services exists to, and I quote, “enhance the health and well-being of all Americans.” The HHS Secretary has 29 offices and operating divisions in their charge. Some of these are not well known, but you have most likely heard of these four:

  1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

  2. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

  3. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

  4. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)

 

It is a very significant position with a lot of responsibility.

 

Criticisms of Trump’s pick

 

There has been no shortage of critics of Trump’s pick for HHS Secretary.


Dr. Ashish Jha posted this on X (image shown above), stating that he found this appointment to be one that could harm public health and undermine years of progress. The co-founders of the public advocacy non-profit group Public Citizen echoed those sentiments, as you can see from the quotes below:

“Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a clear and present danger to the nation’s health. He shouldn’t be allowed in the building at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), let alone be placed in charge of the nation’s public health agency.” - Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, 2024
“Kennedy is a science-denying, morally bankrupt conspiracy theorist who will endanger people’s lives if placed in a position of authority over health.”- Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, 2024

They asserted that Kennedy is not only a risky option because of his skepticism of established science, but also due to his questionable morals. It goes without saying that a lot of people are not confident that he is the right person for the job.

 

RFK Jr. on nutrition

 

When it comes to nutrition, RFK Jr. has not been shy about making his opinions known. He has even made comments about Trump’s diet, calling it "...really, like, bad."

YouTube Channel: Joe Polish
You can hear what he had to say in this clip, around minute 2:20.

 Let's dive into what he has said about artificial dyes.

YouTube Channel: Fox News

In this clip (shown above), he states that yellow food colorings are an issue because they are associated with “depression, auto-immune injuries, and ADHD.” He also says that red dye is “very bad,” and that many of the same American products that are made with artificial dyes are available in Europe with alternative ingredients.


YouTube Channel: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In this video (shown above), Mr. Kennedy talks mainly about the harms of Yellow 5, aka tartrazine, and claims that it has been associated with all of these conditions:

So, is there any science to back up what Mr. Kennedy has said about artificial dyes? It turns out the answer is a little bit "yes," but also a little bit "no."Artificial food dyes have been linked to negative health outcomes, but not to the extent that Mr. Kennedy claims.

 

Before I get into the science, let’s talk for a second about what artificial food dyes even are.

 

What are artificial food dyes?

 

Artificial food dyes are chemicals that in the modern day are typically synthesized from petroleum. They exist to impart brilliant colors to foods and make them more attractive to consumers. Without artificial colors, a fair amount of packaged foods would look dull due to the loss of color that takes place during processing and storage.

 

Now, for some history. Humans have been dying foods for a very long time. In ancient times, people used minerals and plants to create dyes like lead oxide and turmeric. The first synthetic dye, mauve, was created by William Henry Perkin in 1856. In the 1900s, some merchants made the unfortunate choice of using dyes to hide the fact that that their products were of poor quality. Chemicals that we knew then and know now to be toxic like lead and mercury were commonly used. Fortunately, regulators stepped in.

 

Congress passed the Food and Drugs Act in 1906 to protect the public from poisonous dyes and food that was colored to create the illusion of good quality. In 1938, we got the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which went beyond the scope of the Food and Drugs Act of 1906 to add more government supervision of food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices. 1960 saw the creation of the Color Additive Amendments, which outlined the conditions that must be met for a colorant to be considered safe for consumption. The Color Additive Amendments are also of critical importance because they specifically included a cause about the potential for color additives to cause cancer. The Delaney Clause states that:

 

"A color additive shall be deemed unsafe. . . if the additive is found. . . to induce cancer when ingested by man or animal, or . . . after other relevant exposure of man or animal to such additive." - The Delaney Clause, 1960

 

The seven Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) certified artificial dyes that currently have FDA approval for use in foods are:

  1. Red No. 3 (erythrosine)

  2. Red No. 40 (allura red)

  3. Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine)

  4. Yellow No. 6 (sunset yellow)

  5. Blue No. 1 (brilliant blue)

  6. Blue No. 2 (indigo carmine)

  7. Green No. 3 (fast green)

 

According to the FDA:

“The FDA’s regulations require evidence that a color additive is safe at its intended level of use before it may be added to foods.”

Some would argue that the FDA is not really holding companies to this standard. Let’s see why.

 

What health outcomes have artificial food dyes been linked to?

  

While it may seem like conversations about the safety of food dyes are a relatively new phenomenon, concerns about the health effects of artificial dyes have been brought up for decades. Dyes have been banned in the past, too. For example, Violet 1, which was used to stamp animal carcasses for meat inspection, was banned in 1973 after research suggested that it could cause cancer in animals.


The artificial dyes that are approved for use in the modern day have been mainly linked to hypersensitivity and hyperactivity. Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are all associated with some level of scientific evidence which suggests that they can cause hypersensitivity, or an exaggerated immune response. Based on that fact, I can say there is some validity behind Mr. Kennedy’s statement that dyes can cause “autoimmune injuries” and “asthma.” However, I would use different words than he did; I think that a more accurate characterization of this link would be that artificial dyes may trigger allergic reactions in some people.

 

Let’s do a quick review of the evidence, starting with Red 40.


Evidence for Hypersensitivity


  1. Red 40: In a study from 1978 of 52 patients with urticaria (hives) and angioedema (swelling similar to hives), eliminating all dyes and potentially triggering additives and then adding Red 40 back into the diet in 1mg or 10mg doses caused a hypersensitive reaction in 16% of patients. This is just one small study though - more research is needed.

  2. Yellow 5: In the 1970s, multiple cases (see here, and here) of sensitivity to yellow 5 were reported, mainly in the form of hives and asthma. In 26% of people who already have some type of allergy, consuming 50 mg of yellow 5 resulted in allergic reactions which included blurred vision, a feeling of suffocation, itchiness, hives, weakness, and heat-wave (see this article and this one). Studies also show that people who have issues tolerating aspirin are more likely to also be sensitive to yellow 5. Even small doses of yellow 5 can provoke an allergic reaction in people with allergies; in one study, people with chronic hives and aspirin intolerance were given just 0.22mg of yellow 5, much less than what you would get from a bag of candy, and it caused a reaction in 8% of people with hives and 20% of people with aspirin intolerance. 

  3. Yellow 6: The earliest report of hypersensitivity to yellow 6 is from 1949. There have been several case reports of people who had a reaction to yellow 6 that was confirmed with skin prick tests and challenge tests, which is when scientists present a patient with something that may cause an adverse reaction in a relatively safe and controlled setting, and observe what happens (see one, two, and three). I was also able to find one clinical trial from 1973, the results of which suggested that yellow 6 could trigger hives and other allergy symptoms like red eyes and nasal congestion in people who already get recurrent hives.

 

As I said earlier, I think it’s fair to say that there is some evidence that these artificial dyes can trigger allergic reactions in people who are susceptible. Is the evidence robust? No. But, is it enough to say that this is worth looking into with larger, well-designed studies? I would say, yes.

 

Now, let’s move on to the evidence on hyperactivity and attention deficient/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This is the outcome for which there is perhaps the most scientific support, so I’ll give Mr. Kennedy points for bringing attention to it.


Evidence for Hyperactivity

 

Back in the 1970s, medical doctor Benjamin Feingold first called attention to the potential for artificial colors to affect children’s behavior and ability to learn with this landmark publication. By the way, if you click on the previous link, you will discover that this very old paper uses some correspondingly old-timey language, such as the term "hyperkinetic disorder." “Hyperkinetic disorder” is an outdated term for what we today refer to as ADHD.

 

What I find astonishing is that just as we are having debates today about whether or not the rise in behavioral conditions among children is related to heightened awareness or an actual increase in the amount of people developing those conditions, people back in the 1970s were asking the same question! It’s cool to see how the past reflects the future (although it would be nice to finally get an answer to that question). Anyway, in this review of the literature, which included a randomized controlled trial, as well as meta-analyses and systematic reviews, researchers concluded that diets restricting artificial colors can help with symptom severity in children with ADHD. The authors of this meta-analysis of multiple studies concluded that:

 

“An estimated 8% of children with ADHD may have symptoms related to synthetic food colors.” - Nigg et al 2012

 

And that:

 

“A restriction diet benefits some children with ADHD. Effects of food colors were notable but susceptible to publication bias or were derived from small, nongeneralizable samples. Renewed investigation of diet and ADHD is warranted.” - Nigg et al 2012

 

Basically, there seems to be evidence that a small fraction of children with ADHD can be negatively affected by synthetic dyes, but more research is needed. This review of evidence from both human and animal studies, including 27 clinical trials conducted in children, supports that conclusion, while adding another interesting tidbit. The authors stated that:

“Current evidence from studies in humans, largely from controlled exposure studies in children, supports a relationship between food dye exposure and adverse behavioral outcomes in children, both with and without pre-existing behavioral disorders.” - Miller et al 2022

 

What they are saying here is that even children without ADHD may be susceptible to behavioral changes brought on by the consumption of artificial dyes. If you have little ones and have noticed their behavior change after eating bags of colorful candy, it may not have just been all in your head after all.

 

Now, how could dyes possibly impact children’s behavior?


As explained in this paper, synthetic dyes may cause behavioral problems by:

  1. affecting the capacity of neurons, which are cells in your nervous system, to form connections and send information to one another, and

  2. causing inflammation in the nervous system, which causes neurons to break down.


Perhaps this is what Mr. Kennedy’s team meant when they listed neurological damage here?

These are potential mechanisms for ADHD though, not something that has been studied on its own in the general population, so I don’t think it’s fair to list neurological damage as a consequence of consuming artificial food dyes - that is creeping into fear-mongering territory.


If artificial food dyes can cause behavioral issues in children, why aren't they more strictly regulated?

 

The scientific support for a connection between hyperactivity and artificial dyes in some children is there. Basing themselves mainly on this fact, scientists have made the argument that the current FDA recommendations for acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels for artificial dyes need to be reviewed. According to the authors of this paper, where they found an association between artificial dyes and children’s behavior, the authors stated that:

 

“The current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acceptable daily intakes are based on older studies that were not designed to assess the types of behavioral effects observed in children.” - Miller et al 2022

 

This is something that I picked up on as I was doing the research for this article, too. Much of the data that we have on the safety of dyes is from the 1970s and 80s, and many of the studies were case studies of single individuals, not clinical trials of groups of people. Many of them also relied on the observations of parents reporting on behavioral changes in their kids, which introduces some bias. It’s also worth noting that behavioral conditions like ADHD can present differently in different people, and with the large volume of additives that are currently approved for use in our food supply, it would take a boatload of effort to put together well-designed years-long studies to find out the effects of each one.


I think it’s fair to say that we need not only larger, better quality studies, but just more studies overall that better reflect the updated knowledge that we have today. It is also crucial that these updated studies take into account the fact that foods that contain artificial colors often contain a hefty amount of sugar, which on its own may cause hyperactivity.

 

Alright, now, what about the rest of the conditions that RFK Jr. claims are brought on by artificial dyes?


No need to scroll up, I've got the list right here :)

Tumors


He also has tumors listed as a potential side effect of consuming artificial dyes. There is evidence that dyes can cause tumors, but it’s important to highlight that the evidence comes from animal studies. Red 3 was shown to increase the risk of thyroid tumors in male rats in these studies (see here, and here). Dyes can also be contaminated with cancer-causing substances. One example of a carcinogen that can be found in dyes is benzidine.

 

You can see on this CDC website that benzidine is known to cause cancer in people who are exposed to it for long periods of time. The Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, and the Environmental Protection Agency all agree on this. Despite its status as a carcinogen, the FDA does allow small amounts of it in food dye, specifically 1 part per billion (ppb). Scientists have argued that some dyes that are currently approved for use contain far more of this contaminant than 1ppb. It has been estimated that dyes may contain up to over 80 ppb, which far exceeds the FDA’s limit.

 

When it comes to the association between artificial dyes and the other things that Mr. Kennedy mentioned, there just isn’t enough data out there right now to support a strong causal relationship.

 

Anxiety and depression


I searched for studies on yellow 5 and anxiety and depression, since that is the dye that he talked about specifically in the “Enough is Enough” video that I have screencaptured above, but I couldn’t find much aside from a couple of studies done in rats (see one, and two).


Hormone disruption


With regards to hormone disruption, high doses of yellow 5 can affect levels of reproductive hormones, namely, progesterone, estradiol, testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). However, these findings were derived from studies done on isolated cells and in rats, not in humans.

 

Gene damage


In a review of the safety of tartrazine that was published in 2024, you can find some evidence from in vitro or test tube studies that yellow 5 can cause damage at the DNA level.  Tests using fruit flies and rodents show mixed results. High doses of tartrazine interrupted normal development for the fruit fly larvae and led to an increase in markers of oxidative stress in rats, something which could lead to DNA damage. These studies do not necessarily indicate that yellow 5 causes gene damage in living, breathing humans though, as people do not generally consume the high levels of dye being used in these lab experiments.

 

Intestinal injuries


The evidence for this claim is weak. Taking all of the studies that have been done on yellow 5 together as a whole, yellow 5 does appear to promote oxidative stress and inflammation. There are a couple of studies that revealed a connection between yellows 5 & 6 and intestinal cell damage – but one was done in fish, and the other in mice.

 

Developmental delays


As for his claim on developmental delays, this is something that could be caused by tartrazine exposure given that this chemical has been shown in studies in rats to promote oxidation in the brain – which is not a good thing – and reduce the volume of some areas of the brain at high doses, but this is just a hypothesis for now.

 

This pretty much summarizes what we know so far about the health effects of artificial dyes.

 

What are the FDA and USDA doing about this?

 

At this point you are probably asking yourself:"Why isn’t the government doing more to regulate or ban artificial food dyes?"Does this lack of research mean that the FDA and USDA are all corrupt? I personally don’t think so. Corruption exists, of course, but I would not blame the lack of research solely on that. Regulators may lag behind industries for any number of reasons. The unfortunate truth though, is that you cannot trust industries to adequately test products for safety and regulate themselves; businesses are generally focused on making money, so we need government agencies to step in and ensure that profits are being generated in an ethical manner.

 

When regulators lag behind or are prevented from doing their jobs due to industry cover ups, we end up with situations like the radium girls, the asbestos crisis, and the opioid crisis.

I’m going to go on a bit of a tangent here, but stick with me - I promise it will be worth it!

 

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

In the early 1900s, female factory workers were hired to paint watch dials with a glowing paint which contained radium. Over time, several of these women became anemic and developed mouth lesions, tumors, and bone fractures, with some having their whole jaws break down and detach from their skulls. Many of these women died from radiation poisoning directly caused by the radium. However, their employers and even dentists, medical doctors, and scientists who were well aware of the harms of radium, hid this information from the women in order to keep the money flowing in. Now, we have labor laws designed to protect workers who are exposed to occupational hazards.

 

Now, let’s talk about asbestos.

YouTube Channel: injurylawassociates

If you’re in your 30s or older, you likely remember seeing a commercial like this one (shown above) on TV. These ads for mesothelioma became ubiquitous after humans discovered that prolonged exposure to asbestos could cause lung cancer. What’s incredible is that we did not discover this in the 2000s, or the 1990s, or even the 1980s. Going back to the 1920s, there was already published medical research which showed that asbestos exposure could cause a deadly lung disease. In the decades that followed, scientists and medical doctors continued to refine their understanding of the connection between asbestos and mesothelioma.


Unfortunately for the hundreds of thousands of workers employed at companies that procured, sold, and used asbestos in their manufacturing processes, the industry became increasingly profitable in the same time frame, incentivizing companies to hide the health risks of asbestos from their employees. Leaders in the industry, including physicians, manipulated data, hid the results of medical tests from workers, colluded with insurance companies, and lobbied the UK government to limit industry safety inspections. Now, we have laws that limit most people’s exposure to asbestos.


For my final example, I will discuss something more recent – the opioid crisis.

 

Purdue Pharma carries the brunt of the blame for this crisis of addiction that has contributed to the deaths of over 640,000 people. The company has been charged with lying to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for a decade about how they were working to ensure that opioids were being prescribed only when medically necessary and violating the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute by paying doctors to write more prescriptions for their opioid products and by paying an electronic health record company to recommend and facilitate the ordering of their opioid products.

YouTube Channel: ProPublica

Despite all of the evidence, this (shown above) is what Richard Sackler, former President of Purdue Pharma, had to say. Nevertheless, this catastrophe contributed to better oversight of the prescription of opioids.

 

Okay, that’s it for my little history tangent. My point with bringing these cases up, is that these and other similar examples serve as reminders that timely and effective regulation is absolutely necessary. This is especially true because these food dyes are in a lot of foods that we all consume, even ones that you might not think have dyes.

 

Where are artificial dyes found?


Let's explore some categories of foods that may contain artificial colors that might surprise you. I’ll go through each of the categories, followed by an example from each category. Keep in mind that brands change their ingredients all the time, so the best way to know what you are actually buying is to always check the ingredient label of the product. Alright, let’s go down the list:



 

  1. Pickles: As an example, Mt. Olive Kosher Dills contain Yellow 5. Vlasic Dill Relish also contains Yellow 5.


  1. Pancake and waffle mixes: I found this Krusteaz pancake mix on Amazon that contains 4 different yellow dyes, but when I went to the Krusteaz website, I found that they had updated the ingredients for pretty much all of their mixes to exclude artificial colors, which was really good to see! Nevertheless, there are still brands that include yellow dyes in their mixes - remember to always read the ingredients list!


  1. Dried fruit: Dried fruit or dehydrated fruit is a better-for-you sweet snack option, but, sometimes even these snacks may contain artificial colors, as you can see with this example.


  1. Chips: Certain flavors of Pringles contain red and yellow dyes.



  1. Jams/Jellies: This Smucker’s Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves contains Red 40.

 

  1. Boxed rice/pasta meals: When you think of boxed lasagna, you probably think of an innocuous, quick dinner option. However, these pre-made dinners can contain artificial colors, too. This one contains 5 different artificial dyes.




  1. Pudding: The last category that I’ll mention is pudding. Now, this isn’t totally surprising because pudding is a highly processed food, so it’s expected that it will contain artificial ingredients. However, I am including this because it’s a great example of how colors can be deceiving. Here’s an easy question for you – what color is chocolate? Brown, right? Well, this Zero Flavor Chocolate Pudding from Jell-O contains Red 40, Yellow 5, and Blue 2 to make that brown color.


Something else that Mr. Kennedy mentioned in his appearance on Fox News is that some brands sell products with different ingredients for their European and United States markets.

 

This is also true.

 

US Skittles
US Skittles
UK Skittles
UK Skittles

One example of this is Skittles. When you look at the ingredients for Skittles sold in the US, you see a plethora of artificial colors – red 40, yellow 5, blue 2, yellow 6, red 40 – the usual suspects. Then, when you look at the UK version, you can see that the colors that they use are quite different. The colors are listed as codes, but you can look them up and see that they are typically derived from natural sources:

  • E162 is derived from beets

  • E163 is derived from a plant antioxidant

  • E170 is derived from a mineral that is found in eggshells

  • E160A is derived from a plant pigment that turns into vitamin A

  • E100 is derived from curcumin, which also has antioxidant properties

  • E132 is derived from indigo

  • And the last one, E133, is a synthetic dye

 

Now, you might be wondering why these companies don't just sell the same, more natural versions of their products in the US as well since they already know how to make their products without artificial colors. There are several reasons why.


Number one is money.

 

Artificial dyes are usually cheaper than their more natural counterparts. Also, they tend to impart brighter colors and hold up in products for longer spans of time. The other big reason why food companies deliberately continue to include synthetic dyes in the American versions of their products, is that the United States government lets them get away with doing this.

 

According to this article on the toxicology of food dyes,

 

“Several major multinational companies have told the authors that they do not use dyes in Europe, because governments have urged them not to, but that they would continue to use dyes in the United States until they were ordered not to or consumers demanded such foods.” - Kobylewski and Jacobson 2012

 

The laws which govern the permissibility of artificial dyes in the US place the burden of proof of danger on the FDA instead of on the companies that sell the products made with these dyes. The result is that these companies can make demands of the FDA, like asking them to hold formal public hearings, create advisory committees, or go to court. With the amount of roadblocks that companies can put up to create friction in this bureaucratic process of regulating dyes, it’s really not surprising that the FDA continues to allow dyes that might not be safe.

 

Conclusion

 

All in all, I believe that skepticism is a reasonable position when it comes to assessing the safety of artificial food dyes. It just doesn’t seem like we have enough evidence from animal studies, let alone human studies, to declare these colorants to be totally safe to use. They impart no nutritional value and are there simply to make food appear unnaturally bright. Looking at the risks and benefits of consuming artificial dyes, I find it hard to see a balance between the two.

 

While the safety of artificial dyes remains up in the air, what we do have robust scientific support for is the intake of real food for long term health. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, fresh meat – those things. It just so happens that those foods also tend not to contain artificial colors. So, even if you are not worried about dyes, if you care about your health at all, you should make it a priority to consume a diet that contains whole foods and mostly plants; by doing this you will minimize your intake of synthetic dyes by default.

 

Mr. Kennedy has been confirmed as HHS Secretary, so he is now in a position to allocate funds towards research on synthetic dyes. That could end up being a good thing. It will take several years for us to see the results of such studies, but I think that this would be a worthwhile investment given how pervasive artificial dyes are in our food supply.

 

Anyway, that’s all for today. I hope that this dive into synthetic dyes was helpful! If you learned anything new, then I invite you to pass the knowledge along by sharing this article with with your friends and family.

 

Take care!

 

 

References 


Background on RFK Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy suspends his independent presidential campaign and backs Trump

Stephen Fowler

Updated August 23, 20244:28 PM ET

 

RFK Jr. suspends presidential campaign and endorses Trump

Aaron Pellish and Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN

Updated 8:23 PM EDT, Fri August 23, 2024

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces independent run for president, ending Democratic primary challenge to Biden 

By Aaron Pellish, CNN

Updated 5:42 PM EDT, Mon October 9, 2023

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches unlikely presidential bid as a Democrat

Will McDuffie and Isabella Murray

April 20, 2023

 

Trump picks Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be his Department of Health and Human Services secretary

Kaitlan Collins, Kristen Holmes and Aaron Pellish, CNN

Updated 7:13 PM EST, Thu November 14, 2024

 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bio: https://www.mahanow.org/about


Image: 


Joe Rogan Experience #1999 - Robert Kennedy Jr.

PowerfulJRE

27 jun 2024


Reactions to RFK Jr. Nomination

Speaker Johnson Reacts To Trump Picking RFK Jr. For HHS Secretary

Channel: Forbes Breaking News

14 nov 2024

 

Doctor on what concerns him most about Trump picking RFK Jr. as HHS secretary

Channel: CNN

14 nov 2024

 

About the US Cabinet/HHS Secretary position

 

 

HHS Organizational Charts Office of Secretary and Divisions

Content created by Digital Communications Division (DCD) Content last reviewed November 19, 2024

 

RFK Jr.’s Comments on nutrition

RFK Jr Interview: The Elites, Government Corruption, Donald Trump, Dana White & New York City Water!

11 nov 2024

Channel: Joe Polish

 

Americans ‘can’t trust what’s on the ingredient label’: RFK Jr

Channel: Fox News

24 ago 2024

 

Enough Is Enough

Channel: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

25 sept 2024

 

Background on food dyes

Kobylewski S, Jacobson MF. Toxicology of food dyes. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2012 Jul-Sep;18(3):220-46. doi: 10.1179/1077352512Z.00000000034. PMID: 23026007.

 

Color Additives in Foods

Food and Drug Administration

Content current as of: 07/06/2023

 

Banned additives

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Updated: September 29, 2022

 

Scientific studies on food dyes and various health outcomes

Kobylewski S, Jacobson MF. Toxicology of food dyes. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2012 Jul-Sep;18(3):220-46. doi: 10.1179/1077352512Z.00000000034. PMID: 23026007.

 

Mikkelsen H, Larsen J, Tarding F. Hypersensitivity reactions to food colors with special reference to the natural color annatto extract (butter colour). Arch Toxicol Suppl.

1978;1:141–3.

 

Dipalma JR. Tartrazine sensitivity. Am Fam Physician. 1990;42(5):1347–50.

 

Neuman I, Elian R, Nahum H, Shaked P, Creter D. The danger of ‘yellow dyes’ (Tartrazine) to allergic subjects. Clin Allergy. 1978;8(1):65–8

 

Stenius BS, Lemola M. Hypersensitivity to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and Tartrazine in patients with asthma. Clin Allerg. 1976;6(2):119–29

 

Settipane GA, Chafee FH, Postman IM, Levine MI, Saker JH, Barrick RH, et al. Significance of Tartrazine sensitivity in chronic urticaria of unknown etiology. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1976;57(6):541–6.

 

First-ever study reveals amounts of food dyes in brand-name foods

Center for Science in the Public Interest

May 7, 2014

 

Stevens LJ, Burgess JR, Stochelski MA, Kuczek T. Amounts of Artificial Food Dyes and Added Sugars in Foods and Sweets Commonly Consumed by Children. Clinical Pediatrics. 2015;54(4):309-321. doi:10.1177/0009922814530803

 

Baer RL, Leider M. The effects of feeding certified food azo dyes in para-phenylenediamine-hypersensitive subjects. J Invest Dermatol. 1949;13(5):223–32

 

Trautlein JJ, Mann WJ. Anaphylactic shock caused by yellow dye (FD&C No.5 and FD&C No. 6) in an enema (case report). Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1978;41(1):28–9.

 

Gross PA, Lance K, Whitlock RJ, Blume RS. Additive allergy: allergic gastroenteritis due to yellow dye #6. Ann Intern Med. 1989;111(1):87–8.

 

Jenkins P, Michelson R, Emerson PA. Adverse drug reaction to Sunset-Yellow in rifampicin-isoniazid tablet. Lancet. 1982;2(8294):385

 

Michaelsson G, Juhlin L. Urticaria induced by preservatives and dye additives in food and drugs. Brit J Dermatol. 1973;88(6):525–32

 

Feingold BF. Hyperkinesis and learning disabilities linked to artificial food colors and flavors. Am J Nurs. 1975 May;75(5):797-803. PMID: 1039267.

 

Hyperkinetic disorder

This page was last edited on 31 October 2024

 

Rambler RM, Rinehart E, Boehmler W, Gait P, Moore J, Schlenker M, Kashyap R. A Review of the Association of Blue Food Coloring With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Children. Cureus. 2022 Sep 16;14(9):e29241.

 

Nigg JT, Lewis K, Edinger T, Falk M. Meta-analysis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, restriction diet, and synthetic food color additives. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2012 Jan;51(1):86-97.e8. 

 

Miller MD, Steinmaus C, Golub MS, Castorina R, Thilakartne R, Bradman A, Marty MA. Potential impacts of synthetic food dyes on activity and attention in children: a review of the human and animal evidence. Environ Health. 2022 Apr 29;21(1):45. doi: 10.1186/s12940-022-00849-9. PMID: 35484553; PMCID: PMC9052604.

 

de Oliveira ZB, Silva da Costa DV, da Silva Dos Santos AC, da Silva Júnior AQ, de Lima Silva A, de Santana RCF, Costa ICG, de Sousa Ramos SF, Padilla G, da Silva SKR. Synthetic Colors in Food: A Warning for Children's Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 May 27;21(6):682. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21060682. PMID: 38928929; PMCID: PMC11203549.

 

Del-Ponte B, Quinte GC, Cruz S, Grellert M, Santos IS. Dietary patterns and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2019 Jun 1;252:160-173. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.061. Epub 2019 Apr 10. PMID: 30986731.

 

Borzelleca JF, Capen CC, Hallagan JB. Lifetime toxicity/carcinogenicity study of FD & C Red No. 3 (erythrosine) in rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 1987 Oct;25(10):723-33. doi: 10.1016/0278-6915(87)90226-2. PMID: 2824305.

 

Jennings AS, Schwartz SL, Balter NJ, Gardner D, Witorsch RJ. Effects of oral erythrosine (2',4',5',7'-tetraiodofluorescein) on the pituitary-thyroid axis in rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 1990 May;103(3):549-56. doi: 10.1016/0041-008x(90)90327-q. PMID: 2160137.

 

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Toxic Substances Portal

ToxFAQs™ for Benzidine

CAS#: 92-87-5

Page last reviewed: October 25, 2011

 

Prival MJ, Peiperl MD, Bell SJ. Determination of combined benzidine in FD & C yellow no. 5 (tartrazine), using a highly sensitive analytical method. Food Chem Toxicol. 1993 Oct;31(10):751-8. doi: 10.1016/0278-6915(93)90147-q. PMID: 8225134.

 

Kamel, Mervat & El-Lethey, Heba. (2011). The Potential Health Hazard of Tartrazine and Levels of Hyperactivity, Anxiety-Like Symptoms, Depression and Anti-social behaviour in Rats. J Am Sci.. 7.

 

Wopara I, Adebayo OG, Umoren EB, Aduema W, Iwueke AV, Etim OE, Pius EA, James WB, Wodo J. Involvement of striatal oxido-inflammatory, nitrosative and decreased cholinergic activity in neurobehavioral alteration in adult rat model with oral co-exposure to erythrosine and tartrazine. Heliyon. 2021 Nov 26;7(11):e08454. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08454. PMID: 34888423; PMCID: PMC8637136.

 

Amchova P, Siska F, Ruda-Kucerova J. Safety of tartrazine in the food industry and potential protective factors. Heliyon. 2024 Sep 19;10(18):e38111. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38111. 

 

Wu L, Lv X, Zhang Y, Xin Q, Zou Y, Li X. Tartrazine exposure results in histological damage, oxidative stress, immune disorders and gut microbiota dysbiosis in juvenile crucian carp (Carassius carassius). Aquat Toxicol. 2021 Dec;241:105998. doi: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105998. Epub 2021 Oct 15. PMID: 34706309.

 

Şensoy E. Comparison of the effect of Sunset yellow on the stomach and small intestine of developmental period of mice. Heliyon. 2024 May 30;10(11):e31998. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31998. PMID: 38882373; PMCID: PMC11176863.

 

Trends in ADHD Diagnosis

Facts About ADHD Throughout the Years

October 23, 2024


History Tangent

Radium Girls


Books about the Radium Girls:

 

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

Author Kate Moore

 

Radium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 1910-1935

Author Claudia Clarke

 

Mesothelioma

Channel: injurylawassociates

29 ago 2008

 

Whitmer, Michelle. "Asbestos Cover-Up." Asbestos.com, 25 Mar 2024, https://www.asbestos.com/featured-stories/cover-up/.

 

Justice Department Announces Global Resolution of Criminal and Civil Investigations with Opioid Manufacturer Purdue Pharma and Civil Settlement with Members of the Sackler Family

Office of Public Affairs

October 21, 2020

 

Focus on Broadband and Opioids

Federal Communications Commission

 

Watch Richard Sackler Deny Purdue Pharma Caused Increase in Opioid Addiction in Kentucky

Channel: ProPublica

12 sept 2019

 

Reducing Opioids Misuse Provider Letter

CMS

February 2019

 

Where dyes are found in the food supply

Surprise! Foods you’d never guess contain artificial food dye

By Ketura Persellin (EWG)

July 31, 2024

 

Lehmkuhler AL, Miller MD, Bradman A, Castorina R, Chen MA, Xie T, Mitchell AE. Dataset of FD&C Certified Food Dyes in Foods Commonly Consumed by Children. Data Brief. 2022 Dec 7;46:108806. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108806.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

US Skittles:

SKITTLES Original Fruity Candy Single Pack, 2.17 oz

 

UK Skittles:

SKITTLES Fruits Sweets Bag 152g

 

Wikipedia.com used for all color dye information in the segment on UK Skittles ingredients

 

Citrus red 2 in oranges:

 

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