Yellow #6

Yellow #6

Yellow #6

What is it:

Yellow #6, also known as Sunset Yellow FCF, is a synthetic dye derived from petroleum products that give foods and drinks a yellow-orange color. Yellow #6 dye is found in many products including candy, cereal, and popcorn.

Rating:

Yellow #6 contains benzidine, which is a carcinogen. Yellow #6 can also induce inflammation, and some people are hypersensitive to Yellow #6. An animal study also showed that rats eating Yellow #6 had their liver and kidney function negatively affected when consuming Yellow #6 compared to the control group.

Resources:

  1. Toxicology of Food Dyes (review)
  2. Food Dye Risks (hypersensitivity/cancer) (review)
  3. Yellow #6 and Inflammatory Response (human study)
  4. Kidney and Liver Function in Rats Consuming Yellow #6 (animal study)

How we rate ingredients

Health is like a bank account, certain ingredients make a deposit into your health bank, meaning they add to
your health. Certain ingredients withdraw from your health bank. We want health promoting ingredients in our diet. To keep things simple, we rate ingredients on a green, yellow, red scale:

Clean

It is naturally occurring in food and has no harmful effects on the body. It is real food. It is health promoting.

Caution

It goes into one or more of the below categories

  • It is not naturally occurring in food but doesn’t have data showing it has a harmful effect on the body (additives like Gellan Gum)
  • It is naturally occurring but can have some harmful effects on the body (added sugars, oils, gums etc.)

We Avoid

It is known to have a harmful effect on the body (ex. All food colorings, Natural Flavors, MSG, Potassium bromate, aspartame, artificial flavors)

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