Red #40, it's in everything

I just took out the vitamins my dad takes daily. Equate Mature Formula for Men. I looked over the ingredients and found Lake Red #40. So what is it? Well, here is what it is.

	The Chemistry of Red 40
	Red Dye #40 (and all FDA certified dyes) is referred to as a "Coal Tar" dye. The phrase has little meaning today but a hundred years ago it was used to describe synthetic chemicals that started out with coal tar as a precursor. It's more likely today to find a petrochemical as the original base of most synthetic chemicals, though they're so highly refined that you won't find any residual petroleum in the product. The proper chemical name for Red40 is: 6-hydroxy-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo]-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid which is a terribly long word for a very tiny molecule. The chemical is often referred to as an "azo" dye. If you look at the drawing of the chemical below, you'll see two Nitrogen atoms near the center of the molecule (passing your cursor over the drawing will highlight the "N" on the nitrogen atoms) The way the two Nitrogens are connected together with a double bond is called an "azo" bond; this is what makes this chemical a part of the "azo" family. Lakes Often on a label you'll see a color listed as a lake, i.e.: "FD&C Red #40 Lake" or "Blue 1 Lake" So what's a lake? Most of the dyes in use are water soluble, which is wonderful if you're coloring a juice or syrup. It becomes a bit of a problem if you're trying to color the outside of a medicine tablet. The manufacturer doesn't want the color to run off if the pill gets a little wet. The answer is to use a dye in a lake form. A lake is a solid, non water soluble form of a dye. It's produced by mixing the dye with Aluminum Hydroxide. By itself Aluminum Hydroxide is a safe food ingredient and it's often sold as an antacid. When combined with Red Dye #40, the chemicals form a deep red powder that can be applied to the outsides of tablets, gumballs and other solids. You may also notice this form listed in the ingredients as "Red 40 Aluminum Lake" http://www.red40.com/pages/chemistry.html So why would you put these in your body? Yes they have been proven to a certain extend to in fact be safe. But do you really want aluminum in your body? Can your body digest metals? Doubtful. So it, like any ting else your body does not know what to do with passes through you.As do many of the other things found in common cheap synthetic vitamins. For more info: www.vitamingirlshop.info