UAE: Food dyes may cause anxiety, hyperactivity, mood swings among kids, warn doctors
Hyperactivity, increased irritability, and mood swings in children and even in some teenagers are caused due to food additives as noted by medical practitioners in the UAE.
This concern was reignited after the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to eliminate all synthetic dyes derived from petroleum for use in food.
Research suggests food dyes have an adverse effect on the behaviour of youth, exacerbating hyperactivity and agitated mood. Increased consumption of dyed foods may lead to heightened states of anxiety and restlessness in children.
Dr. Fatma Mohamed Mahmoud Ibrahim, a paediatric specialist at Burjeel Medical Centre in Al Shamkha, stated, “Recent studies, such as the Southampton study along with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviews, noted that a number of food additives, specifically dyes and some preservatives, increase hyperactivity and agitation. Now, at least FDA seems to be paying attention to these.”
“Lifestyle changes towards the western diet predispose UAE children to multi-service clinics and physicians who report increased symptoms of anxiety. Marked changes were noted in parallel to the pandemic as an abrupt lifestyle change. Elementary education institutions reported reduced attention spans. Of course, processed snacks and their widespread availability are a new development.
Nardine El Fattal from UAE University also conducted research claiming something should be done because children are becoming hyperactive and attention-deficit. The more we look, the more certain we are that the younger generation is affected in more ways than is imagined. More research needs to be conducted on the long-term impact on the local population.”
Synthetic dyes common in children’s products
Medics noted as Ibrahim that ‘colourful cereals, juices, and bakery items’ targeted at children and juicy sweets made for kids are very common in the UAE. Synthetic food colouring is also used in Tartrazine (E102), Sunset Yellow (E110), and Allura Red (E129) and a variety of other UAE products.
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment UAE (MOCCEUAE) takes strong measures in regard to maintaining consumer health and consumer safety. They stated that regulatory colourant additives or dye strictures within the UAE are held to an internationally accepted standard of minimal risk colourant additives.
Import food products are subject to an extensive range of inspections and testing in collaboration with local authorities to ensure user safety.
Worsening food consumption patterns
Dr. Mamata Bothra of the International Modern Hospital Dubai, a paediatrician and a neonatologist, said, "Food dyes can certainly aggravate hyperactivity symptoms and also make some children more irritable."
Healthcare professionals particularly mention that there have been numerous studies that refer to the relationship between the use of synthetic food colourings and the worsening of the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
In her remarks, Bothra noted that "the proportion of children with ADHD symptoms has increased and the earlier prevalence of food colour additives does seem to give rise to these symptoms. The proportion of children eating food containing synthetic dyes is three to four times more compared to the late 1990s and early 2000s. These effects will be long lasting in terms of behaviour modification. Increased mood swings, greater agitation, anxiety, reduced ability to focus, and sleep disorders are observed in younger populations with high consumption of these foods."
"Overall, everywhere the use of synthetic dyes has increased. The consumption of marketed ready-to-eat meals, carbonated beverages containing artificial colouring, fast food, sweets and the like has been increasing," stated Bothra.
Burjeel Medical Centre in Al Shamkha’s Dr Fatma Mohamed Mahmoud Ibrahim, a specialist in paediatrics, notes that “while specific data for this issue is still developing in the UAE, the substantial presence of processed food in our markets makes this concern very valid.”
Doctors emphasised that, in most cases, the impacts are short-term. For instance, restlessness, rapid changes of mood, and lack of focus often occur within a few hours following the consumption of foods containing colour dyes. Nonetheless, there is the possibility of children consuming such foods routinely, and so the cumulative impact could create long-term behavioural and learning difficulties.
Ibrahim stated that “Parents have an important responsibility… as they have to check the ingredients of the foods and choose colour substitutes which are natural and reduce the intake of processed foods. Adequate changes to a child’s diet by removing artificial colouring can bring about enhanced behaviour, learning abilities and health.”
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