A new study shows for the first time a phenomenon in which artificial colors in food can cause illness. The results show that laboratory micedevelop colitiswhen they consume food containing the artificial food colors FD&C Red 40 and Yellow 6. This happens when there is dysregulation of a specific component of their immune system, known as the cytokine IL-23. However, it remains unclear whether these food colors have similar effects in humans. The researchers plan to study exactly how the cytokine IL-23 promotes the development of colitis after exposure to food dyes.
Are certified dyes in food dangerous?
Colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Cytokine IL-23 dysregulation is known to be a factor in the development of this disease in humans. However, there are also medications that do thishealth conditionblock and act on patients. Food dyes such as Red 40 and Yellow 6 are often used in drinks and even medicine. These are the two most common food colorings in the world. Both genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role in whether a person develops IBD, but the exact risk factors are not yet known. For the study, the researchers therefore created mouse models with impaired expression of the cytokine IL-23. To their surprise, the animals with dysregulation in immune response did not spontaneously develop inflammatory bowel disease, although this is a factor in humans with the disease.
According to the study authors, the dramatic changes in the concentration of air and water pollutants and the increasingIntake of processed foodsand food additives in the human diet over the last century with an increase in the incidence of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. When fed a diet containing the food dyes Red 40 or Yellow 6, the modified mice developed colitis. However, mice that received the same diet but had normal immune systems did not develop IBD.
In both cases, the disease developed when the mice consumed the dye, but not otherwise. Some environmental changes are believed to contribute to the development of these diseases. However, relatively little is known about how these affect this. The authors hope thatthis researchrepresents a step towards understanding the effects of food colorings on human health.
