Tartrazine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tartrazine (otherwise known as E102 or FD&C Yellow 5) is a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye used as a food colouring. It is derived from coal tar.
Tartrazine is a very commonly used color in the United Kingdom and the United States — obviously used for yellow, but can also be used with E133 Brilliant Blue FCF or E142 Green S to produce various green shades. Use of tartrazine is banned in Norway and was banned in Austria and Germany, before European Parliament and Council Directive 94/36/EC lifted the ban, though it may only be used in certain products [1]. Its consumption, however, is still not recommended by some for children.[citation needed]
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[edit] Products Containing Tartrazine
Foods
Soft drinks, instant puddings, flavored chips (Doritos, etc), cake mixes, custard powder, soups, sauces, kool-aid, ice cream, ice lollies, candy, chewing gum, marzipan, jam, jelly, marmalade, mustard, horseradish, yogurt, pickles and other pickled products, certain brands of fruit squash, fruit cordial, and many convenience foods together with glycerin, lemon and honey products.
Non-food products
Soaps, hair products (including children’s hair products), moisturizers, crayons, and stamp dyes.
Medications
Vitamins (including many children's vitamins), antacids, & medicinal capsules.
Tartrazine can also be found in certain SSRI antidepressants. SSRI manufacturers have removed tartrazine from certain antidepressants due to patients reporting sensitivity related issues including, ironically, increased clinical depression.
[edit] Sensitivities & Intolerance
Tartrazine appears to cause the most allergic and intolerance reactions of all the azo dyes, particularly amongst those with an aspirin intolerance and asthmatics. The mechanism of sensitivity is obscure and has been called pseudoallergic. [2] The prevalence of tartrazine intolerance is estimated to be less than 0.12% in the general population. [3]
Symptoms from tartrazine sensitivity can occur by either ingestion or cutaneous exposure to a substance containing tartrazine.
Reactions can include anxiety, migraine, clinical depression, blurred vision, itching, rhinitis, urticaria, general weakness, heatwaves, palpitations, feeling of suffocation, pruritus, purple skin patches[4], and sleep disturbance[5]. In rare cases, the symptoms of tartrazine sensitivity can be felt even at extremely small doses and can last up to 72 hours after exposure.
Some researchers have linked tartrazine to childhood Obsessive Compulsive & Hyperactive Disorder [6]. If a parent suspects their child may be adversely affected by tartrazine the parent should consider an all organic diet for a few weeks, avoid all tartrazine-containing skin products and monitor the child’s behavior.[original research?]
Organic foods typically use betacarotene as an additive when yellow color is desired and more use has been made of E160b Annatto for non-organic foods.[citation needed].
[edit] Treatment
Tartrazine sensitivity is a subject with limited free online resources for the afflicted, the bulk of the knowledge base can only be found in published articles in peer-reviewed literature.[7] [8] An effective way to deal with the sensitivity is through total avoidance. [9]
Progress has been made in reducing people’s tartrazine sensitivity in a study of people who are simultaneously sensitive to both aspirin and tartrazine.[10] Any attempt to duplicate these results should be performed under the supervision of a trained medical professional.
[edit] Urban Legends
There is an urban legend that the tartrazine in Mountain Dew causes shrinkage of testicles.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ European Commission
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ pubmed 627044
- ^ pubmed 7965420
- ^ Diet-studies.com
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ PubMed 6721262
- ^ snopes, yellow toxin
