Hi again everyone!
Just read a very interesting article in relation to food additives. It was written by Bill Statham, the author of the international best seller, “The Chemical Maze - Your Guide to Food Additives and Cosmetic Ingredients”. In this article which focusses on additives to food for the purpose of altering the color of food (and thereby, apparently making it more alluring to the consumer), Bill refers to a study completed earlier this year in the UK.
This study by the UK Food Standards Authority (FSA) called on food manufacturers to voluntarily remove six synthetic colors from processed foods and beverages. These colors include:
102 - Tartrazine
104 - Quinoline yellow
110 - Sunset yellow
122 - Azorubine or Carmoise
124 - Ponceau 4R
129 - Allura red AC
We haven’t seen anything in the research that states categorically that food color additives can cause pancreatitis but we’re certain that for some people these could be a trigger to a flare up. The Australian and New Zealand Food Standards authority certainly found some very interesting reactions for some people. These include: rashes and swelling of the skin, irritable bowel symptoms, behavioural changes in children and headaches.
If anyone has any personal experiences in relation to food color additives and pancreatitis we’d certainly like to hear from you.
By the way, some sites that might be worth referring to if you are interested include:
http:www.feingold.org/Research/lancet.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/apr/10/foodanddrink
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/factsheets/factsheets2008/effectsofartificialc3893.cfm
You may need to cut and paste these addresses into your web-browser
Regards
Jenny & Bill
[...] … the composition of matter. - Detecting the procedures of chemical reactions. - The process of exposition of the connections between the composition of organic materials and their characteristics. More about organic chemistry links youll receive on the Inet. Analytical Chemistry is the part of chemistry … Pancreatitis and Food Color Additives? [...]
Pingback by interesting chemical reactions | Bookmarks URL — October 28, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
I was just in the ER on Nov 13 and diagnosed with pancreatitis with high lipase levels after having red cherry jello at intervals for several weeks. My husband and I were using the sugar free snack packs and then switched to making it from the box as it was more economical. It seemed like a low calorie harmless dessert, and my symptoms came on slowly, so I never made the connection until the ER doc mentioned to have clear liquids, but not red JELLO. My symptoms started with just a dull ache on the right side of my chest, but by last Thursday it was a sharp pain when I would inhale. Honestly, I thought I was having trouble with my lung on the right side, so I went to the ER. The blood test revealed high lipase levels, but I eat a very low fat fairly restrictive diet, so it was very strange for me. I tried to get ingredients from the Kraft website, but was unsuccessful. Do you happen to know if Kraft uses the colors above that you mention? Thanks for any help you can provide.
Comment by kellyshart — November 17, 2008 @ 3:47 pm
Hi Kelly
No, sorry we aren’t aware of the make up of Kraft jello products. It could be the additives but it’s hard to be certain. Could the gelatine be a problem? Gelatine is a complex protein and most jello products are very low in fat, which would make one think that it wouldn’t greatly affect the pancreas. However, it seems as though some proteins can at times be problematic for pancreatitis sufferers.
Keep investigating Kelly and let us know if you have any further results.
Thanks
Bill
Comment by sankey — November 27, 2008 @ 9:45 pm