Association between food additives and prevalence of allergic reactions in children: a systematic review

Food additives contain synthetic and natural chemical compounds and are one of the causes of food allergies. In this regard, it is necessary to recognize the food additives that are of special interest for children. In this survey, the relation between food additives and allergic reactions and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders in children was studied. The research studies with keywords "allergic reactions", "hypersensitivity", "food additives" and "children" were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, and SID databases, from 1984 to 2020. Three hundred twenty-seven studies were obtained and only seven articles were finally selected according to exclusion and inclusion criteria. In the final review, seven articles were selected to investigate the relationship between food additives and hypersensitivity reactions. Some clinical factors such as urticaria, eczema, rhinitis and gastrointestinal symptoms and the prevalence of laboratory evidence in atopic children are due to increased exposure to food additives including artificial colors and sweeteners, preservatives, and monosodium glutamate. Clinical signs and laboratory evidence prove a significant association between some food additives and allergenic adverse reactions. It was also found that food additives such as artificial colors and sweeteners, preservatives, and monosodium glutamate are responsible for most cases of hypersensitivity in children, and the prevalence of hypersensitivity to food additives was estimated to be about 1.2% based on data extracted from studies.