Red 40, a food coloring found in snacks like Pepsi and Doritos, can cause inflammatory bowel disease

A food coloring found in dozens of family favorite snacks can cause serious intestinal diseases, scientists warn.

Red 40, also known as Allura red, is found in several popular candies, sodas and chips – including Doritos, Skittles and Pepsi – as well as in baked goods and cake mixes.

But researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canadafound that the additive can hinder the gut’s ability to absorb nutrients, water and electrolytes, increasing the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease.

They say this drain on the body’s defenses could make people more susceptible to ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

While the study was conducted on mice, the researchers say the results can be extrapolated to people in Western countries, whose diets tend to be high in food dyes.

Research leader Dr Waliul Khan said: ‘These findings have important implications for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.’

He added: ‘What we found is startling and alarming, as this common synthetic food coloring is a possible dietary trigger for IBD.’

The findings were Published in the journal Nature Communications.

Inflammatory bowel diseases such as colitis and Crohn’s disease, a chronic condition that causes inflammation in the digestive tract, affect an estimated three million Americans.

However, the main caveat of the study is that the human diet would have to contain more than the recommended amount of Red 40 to see the results seen in the mice.

Mice that only occasionally consumed Red 40 did not experience increased rates of colitis, suggesting that only people who occasionally consume foods or beverages containing Red 40 would be affected.

The use of food dyes has increased over the past 100-plus years, but there has been little research on their effects on the gut.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the amount of food coloring in food and cosmetics and sets the recommended daily limit at 7 mg/kg of body weight.

However, the chemicals in paints are linked to countless conditions.

As part of their study, McMaster scientists fed mouse models Allura Red dye in their meals for 12 weeks.

They found that the additive increased serotonin production in the colon and disrupted gut bacteria, promoting cases of colitis, a chronic condition that causes ulcers and sores in the digestive tract.

Serotonin – sometimes called the ‘happy hormone’ – is often talked about for its effects on the brain. Low hormone levels are usually a factor in people with depression.

But in fact, the gut is responsible for producing 95 percent of the total serotonin in the body.

In the intestines, serotonin regulates the normal rhythmic movement of the intestinal muscles and along the way helps to move the contents of the intestines. It is also responsible for the intake of nutrients, electrolytes and water.

The researchers screened several common synthetic dyes in a human enterochromaffin (EC) cell model.

It affects the colon and rectum and can cause a variety of problems related to inflammation, including abdominal pain and bloating, diarrhea, dehydration, and bloody stools.

dr. Khan said: ‘The literature suggests that consumption of Allura Red also affects certain allergies, immune disorders and behavioral problems in children, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.’

Studies have shown a connection between the consumption of food dyes and hyperactivity in children.

An April 2021 analysis of studies commissioned by the state of California reported that of a total of 25 studies on the topic, 16 identified some association between food colors and neurobehavioral problems, ‘particularly worsening attention problems, such as in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. hyperactivity (ADHD) and other behavioral outcomes’.

Red 40, as well as yellow 5 and yellow 6 contain benzidenehuman and animal carcinogen permitted at low, probably safe levels in paints.

In 1985, the FDA calculated that taking free benzidine increased the risk of cancer to just below the threshold of ‘concern’, or 1 cancer per 1 million people.