Journal of Nutritional Medicine; 1 (1). 1990. 51-58.
Ward first studied the zinc status in various tissues (blood, hair, saliva, etc) in 20 hyperactive boys compared to 20 non-hyperactive boys. Then, in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 10 hyperactive boys matched with 10 n0n-hyperactive boys, he determined that tartrazine (Yellow 5) causes a loss of zinc (by increasing it in the urine) “with a corresponding deterioration in behaviour/emotional responses of the hyperactive children but not the controls.”
NOTE: Ward is a chemist, not a psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical researcher. He did the chemical analysis of Yellow 5 in orange drinks and the resultant zinc levels in serum, saliva, urine, etc. The children’s behavior was monitored by a pediatric neurologist.
NOTE: The amount of Yellow 5 used in this study was miniscule — only HALF of a single milligram. The study has been criticized by some because his results were not dramatic. I am astonished he had any results at all, and I sure wish somebody would replicate this study with 50 mg of Yellow 5.
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