Just how dangerous are those E numbers?

by AMY ANDERSON, Daily Mail

人工的な food additives and preservatives could be 原因（となる）ing children to be 破壊的な, a growing bank of 証拠 is 証明するing. These 化学製品s - or E-numbers as they are known - are 追加するd to 高める the flavour and colour of food, and to 長引かせる its shelf life.

Gordon Walker, the headmaster of a 最初の／主要な school in Cornwall, noticed how his own son's behaviour 改善するd after he stopped eating food 含む／封じ込めるing E-numbers.

As a result, he 行為／行うd an 実験 at his school to see how other children were 影響する／感情d by the additives.

His 関心s are 支援するd up by 科学の証拠. Dr Neil 区, a 上級の lecturer in analytical chemistry at the University of Surrey, has carried out four 独立した・無所属熟考する／考慮するs 評価するing the 衝撃 of food additives on hyperactive children, in particular the colourings E102, E110, E123.

'All of our 熟考する／考慮するs have 確認するd that additives do have a detrimental 影響 on the behaviour of hyperactive children,' says Dr 区.

'We have also 設立する that a lot of so called "ordinary? children are very 極度の慎重さを要する to additives and 人工的な化学製品 in their diet, so it's a very 普及した problem.

'And we have discovered links between additives and an 増加するd incidence of eczema, 喘息 and アレルギーs in selected groups of children who 消費する high levels of additives and 人工的な化学製品s in their diet.'

Food preservatives have been used by mankind for centuries. Salt, sugar and vinegar, for example, were の中で the first, and were used to 保存する foods for longer periods.

However in the past 30 years, with the advent of 過程d foods, there has been a 大規模な爆発 in the 化学製品汚職 of foods using additives to 完全に change natural flavours and colours to make them last longer.

Under today's 法律 on European food 基準s, every additive or preservative put into food must be identified and given a n umber, which is its E-number. All E-numbers 現在の in UK food and drinks are 規制するd by the Food 基準s 機関.

There are hundreds of 登録（する）d E-numbers, but as new ones are 追加するd, discontinued or even banned in some countries every week, it is impossible to put an exact 人物／姿／数字 on how many there are at any one time. However, it is 概算の there are 270 in use, numbered between E100 and E1520.

Gordon Walker, 長，率いる of Tywardreath 最初の／主要な School in St Austell, is 納得させるd of the 影響s of E-numbers on children's behaviour.

He asked his pupils' parents to try their children on a diet 解放する／自由な from E-numbers for a week to see what happened. Mr Walker, who is married to Diane, 39, a PA, and has two sons, Jack, 13, and eight-year- old Sam, says: 'I decided to run the E-解放する／自由な実験 in my 最初の／主要な school after seeing the results that 除去するing additives from his diet had on my younger son.

'I felt that it could 改善する academic 基準s in children at the school 同様に as their general behaviour. It was after Sam went manic for a few hours after eating a box of coloured 甘いs last Christmas that we decided to take 活動／戦闘. We 除去するd, to the best of our ability, a large 大多数 of E-numbers from his diet by 避けるing brightly coloured 甘いs and fizzy drinks and moving on to additive-解放する／自由な squash instead.

'The difference in Sam was noticeable within days of changing his diet. It was this, and the fact that, in the 30 years I've been teaching, I have noticed a 示すd rise in 破壊的な behaviour of my pupils, that I decided to try an 実験 at my school.

'All the children taking part ate a diet for a week that had 意味ありげに減ずるd levels of E-numbers. Most parents were keen to take part, and the 大多数 noticed a 示すd 改良 in their child's behaviour as a direct result.

'It was too short a time to say conclusively that the changes were 永久の, but the results were certainly encour-高齢化.'

Dr 区 says: 'I am not surprised about the results of Mr Walker's E-解放する／自由な week 実験: it 反映するs 正確に／まさに what our 熟考する／考慮するs 設立する.

'This 問題／発行する is ますます is 存在 taken 本気で by the 科学の community.'

Most food additives are considered 安全な, and out of a 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） of more than 250 E-numbers, those that have 証拠 to 示唆する they maybe harmful 量 to no more than, at most, 35.

によれば the Food 基準s 機関, E-numbers give no nutritional 利益. They are there 単に as a 化学製品機能（する）／行事, although the fact that they stop foods going off too quickly means they 減ずる the 危険 of bacteria that could 妨げる illness.

They also 許す the 消費者 to buy a much wider and more 変化させるd choice of foods. However, かなりの論争 has arisen over the past ten years as growing 科学の証拠示唆するs an 協会 with the 可能性のある health 脅しs of some E-numbers.

For example, some are known to be 発ガン性の or 有毒な, while others - as Dr 区 and Gordon Walker will 証言する - may 原因（となる） hyperactivity in children, and 与える／捧げる to アレルギーs, 喘息 and migraines.

If you would like more （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） on E-numbers and what foods 含む／封じ込める them 同様に as suggestions on what foods to eat to 避ける them, you can 得る an （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） booklet (cost ￡4) by 令状ing to: The Hyperactive Children's Support Group, 71 Whyke 小道／航路, Chichester, West Sussex P019 2LD.