Red Dye #40

bbo62808

So, I was reading FitPregnancy and there was an article on Autism. I worked in research and have a Biology/Chemistry degree so I am familiar with all of the "reasons" that autism is said to be caused. However, a few things I learned today from this magazine surprised me. Receipts, the shiny kind, that you get out of ATM's for example, are high in BPA- so we should not handle them and if we do wash our hands before touching food. 2ndly, if you live w/in 1000 ft of an interstate there is a greater risk of autism. And lastly, Red #40 is being investigated currently. I know millions of parents keep Red #40 out of their children's diet due to allergies and behavioral changes...Red #40 is made from "coal tar" or now mostly petrochemicals. I cannot see how this is can be good for you but the list is quite overwhelming! I cannot believe how many things we never would think of have Red #40...I am feeling pretty sad right now because I thought I was going to eliminate this but damn.....even many yogurts! What is everyone else's take on this?

 

thanks! 

forensicmama

Autism, if anything, is a genetic syndrome. I wouldn't worry about Red Dye #40. So many of these theories are based on hype or fear. The only difference is that there is real evidence for a genetic link (there are a lot of familial links when it comes to Autism Spectrum Disorder).

PitaBread

So funny you mention this. My friend is a nutritionist with a degree in chemistry and he has always said to avoid red 40 specifically. I'm a fan of Food, Inc. on FB and they just posted an article about it too. We do most of our shopping at farmers markets and never consume any synthetic colors so I'm not too concerned. ETA: it's very easy to avoid, just buy better brands of yogurt (stoneyfield comes to mind) And sorry for the huge paragraph, I'm on my phone.

Julie822

bbo62808:

So, I was reading FitPregnancy and there was an article on Autism. I worked in research and have a Biology/Chemistry degree so I am familiar with all of the "reasons" that autism is said to be caused. However, a few things I learned today from this magazine surprised me. Receipts, the shiny kind, that you get out of ATM's for example, are high in BPA- so we should not handle them and if we do wash our hands before touching food. 2ndly, if you live w/in 1000 ft of an interstate there is a greater risk of autism. And lastly, Red #40 is being investigated currently. I know millions of parents keep Red #40 out of their children's diet due to allergies and behavioral changes...Red #40 is made from "coal tar" or now mostly petrochemicals. I cannot see how this is can be good for you but the list is quite overwhelming! I cannot believe how many things we never would think of have Red #40...I am feeling pretty sad right now because I thought I was going to eliminate this but damn.....even many yogurts! What is everyone else's take on this?

 

thanks! 

While I agree that eating a ton of Red #40 is probably not great for you, I have a lot of problems with these studies. I was reading another one recently that looked at food dye and ADHD. I just did a quick look through my kitchen, and the majority of the food dye that exists in there is in candy and other sweets/junk food. True there are some non junk food sources, but if the kids are eating enough food dye to be on the high end to be qualified for this study, they are probably eating a lot of junk. So is it the food dye, or is it the fact that there diet is consisting of fat and sugar?

I do try to limit the food additives that I eat, but to some extent, it is everything in moderation. I am not going to feel guilty about eating a couple of Swedish Fish (full of Red #40) at night after eating healthily all day.

itsmegin

Not sure if it really is a cause of autism, but I think it is a good idea to eat as naturally as possible. I'm a huge hippie when it comes to food. I try to buy only organic and shop at farmer's markets. Processed food is alredy bad for you, pregnant or not, especially when it has chemicals and artificial colors and flavors added.

PitaBread

itsmegin:

Not sure if it really is a cause of autism, but I think it is a good idea to eat as naturally as possible. I'm a huge hippie when it comes to food. I try to buy only organic and shop at farmer's markets. Processed food is alredy bad for you, pregnant or not, especially when it has chemicals and artificial colors and flavors added.

ITA.  You can go through our fridge/cabinets and not one item will have man-made colors or hydrogenated oils in them. Eating well is so much easier than people think, you just have to want to do it.  Our farmers market sells eggs, meat, honey, jams, cheese, pasta, sauces as well as in-season produce, year-round.  There are a few things we go to the supermarket for! 

bbo62808

Thanks for all the input! I just never really thought about it before, and when I have Dots or something like that at the movies...now I am having 2nd thoughts when I make choices. Things in my kitchen that had it: Sherbert, Baked Doritos, Smuckers Jelly (made w/splenda), Sugar Free Kool-Aid, Fat Free Pudding. I feel like all of those things are "normal" to have in a  household, and today I normally have a few pieces of candy in the afternoon like 3 jolly ranchers or something..but not today because everything has Red #40. I guess just to be more healthy in general, it is best to avoid it

We don't have Farmers Markets year round....being in WI we only have them during the summer. The best I can do is Trader Joe's which is over an hour away....boo 

newmomma72

I read that same article and it also mentioned canned foods and anything with "fragrance" in it...it flipped me out honestly

blick007

I am pregnant with my second child, and I found that many different prenatal vitamins (including the Target brand ones that I bought and have stopped taking)have Red 40 in them. I was blown away.

blick007

I am pregnant with my second child, and I just found out that many different prenatal vitamins have Red 40 in them. I am blown away! I know it is in a bunch of junk food and other things, but PRENATAL vitamins? Just wanted to put this out there for those of you who are trying to look out for Red 40; check your vitamins.

Jiggles123

I Think there could really be a link with autism. I have 3 kids currently who all react to red 40. One has anxiety type attacks after eating it, and the other two have weird paranoia reactions. I've reacted only once myself but it was after eating some cherry cordials from valentines day. I felt like my blood pressure shot through the roof. Very unsettling feeling and helped me better understand how my kids might feel after ingesting it. So, even if autism has a genetic component, so does red 40 sensitivity. And, if it can affect the brains of big people like my kids and myself, I can only imagine the effect it could have on such a small and rapidly growing brain as in a fetus.

As for it only being in unhealthy foods, I disagree. Since we diligently check labels now, we have been shocked by the things that contain it. In addition, when you have kids, you can limit the amount of processed food they get at home, but with school, birthday parties, friends houses and eating out, it can get tricky.

Many children's medications contain it, although that does appear to be improving. Any kind that is pink, red, purple, or orange could be suspect. A big connection that made is that my daughter was always one of those kids who got hyper instead of drowsy when I gave her benedryl. Guess what?... Red 40. Now they have dye free which I seek out now when buying medications.
Btw, most European countries don't use red 40 and require specific labeling if a product does contain it.

LCass

Why does this thread keep coming back?!  So strange.  I started getting all excited that ForensicMama, itsmegin and PitaBread were coming back to the board, and then realized how old this is. 

pennysuedog

Who dug this fossil up?

Wow good luck you 90 weekers!

BeesMomma00

LCass:

Why does this thread keep coming back?!  So strange.  I started getting all excited that ForensicMama, itsmegin and PitaBread were coming back to the board, and then realized how old this is. 

I did the same thing. "What?  Pita's back?!?!?"  LOL