PREVALENCE OF INTOLERANCE TO FOOD-ADDITIVES

Food additives have been implicated as aetiological factors in many di fferent disease states. Concern arose from a suggested link with food additives and hyperactivity in children. They have also been implicate d in many other disease states. This perception, often made by parents on behalf of their children, is not confirmed by double-blind placebo -controlled challenge studies. The discrepancy between public percepti on and the true prevalence of food additive reactions is great and thi s discrepancy between perception and confirmed reactions also exists w ith food-related symptoms. The discrepancy is much greater in the case of food additives than in foods. The mechanism of food additive react ions is not immunological and there is no in vivo or in vitro confirma tory test. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.