You are what you eat. Or aren’t.That’s because scientists at Stanford university are touting the medical benefits of a common food dye it says can make skin tissues translucent.Tartrazine — also known as Yellow #5 — is found in a variety of processed foods and cosmetics including Doritos, Mountain Dew, M&Ms and cereals like Cap’n Crunch. It’s also used in health and beauty products such as shampoo, conditioner, eyeliner and even vitamin pills.According to a study materials science engineers, chemicals in the dye can interact with skin tissues in a manner that can distort incoming light waves to make the internal organs, muscles and blood vessels of mice visible without X-rays or other mechanical means..When added to water, tartrazine molecules absorb blue and purple light and allows red and orange wavelengths to travel through the tissues and make them transparent, the study said. When applied to the abdomens of mice, it showed the movements of the intestines, heart and lungs.“Strongly absorbing dye molecules, when applied topically to biological tissues, can reduce the intrinsic light scattering within these tissues,” the study said. “This effect renders various biological tissues –including the scalp, muscle, and abdomen — transparent.”Apart from the obvious diagnostic benefits, that in turn would make it easier to perform certain kinds of surgeries, identify skin cancers or even simply tattoo removal.“This approach offers a new means of visualizing the structure and activity of deep tissues and organs in vivo in a safe, temporary, and noninvasive manner,” they stated in a press release.“For example, certain therapies use lasers to eliminate cancerous and precancerous cells, but are limited to areas near the skin’s surface. This technique may be able to improve that light penetration.” .After rinsing off the dye, the tissues returned to their normal level of opacity without any seeming side effects.Presently the technique only works on mice, owing to their relatively thin skin layers. By contrast, human skin is much thicker but researchers are tweaking the process in the hopes of making it work on people.Apart from that, Yellow #5’s safety has been called into question from decades. Studies have found a link between fruit juices like Sunny D containing the ingredient to hyperactivity, attention deficit disorders and even asthma in children. Other European studies have drawn links to potential cancers. The product has been banned altogether in Austria and Norway.Tartrazine was first synthesized in Germany and distilled from coal tar in 1884 as a textile dye.On a positive note, tartrazine was removed from Canada’s staple pasta Kraft Dinner in 2016 and replaced with natural substitutes like paprika and turmeric.
