Artificial food dyes intake in Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil through a food frequency questionnaire and maximum...

Food dyes enhance natural colour or provide colour to foods. Artificial food dyes are synthetic organic dyes not found in natural sources. Exposure to dyes has been linked to cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), rhinitis, urticaria and angioedema. This study used a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to assess the exposure to artificial food dyes among the population of Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil through the estimated consumption of foods containing tartrazine (INS 102), sunset yellow (INS 110), amaranth (INS 123), Ponceau 4 R (INS 124), allura red (INS 129) and brilliant blue (INS 133). Exposure estimates were obtained using the maximum limits of usage permitted by Brazilian regulations. Different subpopulations were compared through the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests, followed by the Dunn test; significant differences were found in the latter. The exposure to all dyes was significantly higher among children and adolescents, as was the risk of an intake higher than the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). There was also a relationship between lower per capita income and higher exposure to artificial dyes. Amaranth (INS 123) showed a higher risk of intake greater than the ADI (1.56% of survey participants). The exposure to artificial dyes can be considered safe in Rio Grande do Sul, except for amaranth, but and children and adolescents demand special attention.