Julias Onyango, a retired oncologist based in Kisumu said there is no health benefit of using food colour, apart from making the food look appetising.
US researchers say artificial food colours (AFCs) and common foods may cause behavioural changes in children.
The study published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health revealed that children who were given coloured food were hypersensitive since the food had a lot of chemicals.
Researchers have raised the alarm on the continual use of food colouring products, saying they pose a risk to health.
Julias Onyango, a retired oncologist based in Kisumu said there is no health benefit of using food colour, apart from making the food look appetising.
“I get disturbed when I order food and see very unattractive and overdone colours in my food. I would not eat it because I know how dangerous they are,” said Dr Onyango.
He said some of the food colours contain dangerous and heavy metals that are cancer-causing.
According to Dr Onyango, some of the chemical compounds used in colouring food end up destroying the important nutrients.
“We are thinking that we are eating attractive food yet we are consuming life-threatening products that can be avoided,” he said.
He cautioned that some of the colours like yellow and red contain compounds, including benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl that some research findings have linked to cancer.
Other research has also associated the dyes with problems in children, including allergies, hyperactivity, learning impairment and irritability.
US researchers say artificial food colours (AFCs) and common foods may cause behavioural changes in children.
The study published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health revealed that children who were given coloured food were hypersensitive since the food had a lot of chemicals. The study was aimed at highlighting the potential negative behavioural effects of artificial food colour.
Some of the products are used to colour hair and in cosmetics. This tells how dangerous and unsafe they are.
“You may begin to wonder why we have so many reported cases of cancer. It is because of our lifestyles, eating things that are unnecessary and do not add value to our health.”
Dr Onyango advised that should one need colour in their food, they should go for natural colouring agents like turmeric and bright red tomatoes.
“These are recommended and one would not go wrong or get worried while consuming them,” Dr Onyango said.
He cautioned school going children against buying roadside foods that have too much of colouring.
“I see school-going child by the roadside eating bhajias and get I annoyed. They use too much of the colouring hence putting the lives of so many young children at risk,” he said.
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