Sunset yellow FCF and gut inflammation in mice
What it found
Long-term exposure to Sunset yellow FCF worsened signs of gut inflammation in mice.
It also disrupted their gut bacteria and lowered a key protective molecule.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Worse gut inflammation in mice
Mice exposed to the colouring lost more weight and had worse gut damage when inflammation was triggered. Their disease scores were higher than unexposed mice.
Gut bacteria changes
The colouring changed the mix of gut bacteria in mice. When those bacteria were moved into new mice, the new mice also got worse gut inflammation.
Slowed growth of one bacterium
In both living mice and lab dishes, the colouring slowed the growth of a specific gut bacterium called Akkermansia muciniphila.
Lowered protective molecule
Exposure reduced levels of glutathione, a protective molecule, in healthy mice and mice with gut inflammation. Adding glutathione back helped the affected bacteria grow again.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that long-term exposure to Sunset yellow FCF promotes experimental gut inflammation in mice.
- Their findings point to changes in gut bacteria and a drop in glutathione as the main reasons for this effect.
How it was done
Sunset yellow FCF is a common food colouring, but scientists do not yet know how it affects the development of ulcerative colitis. The authors wanted to find out if long-term exposure plays a role.
The researchers gave Sunset yellow FCF to mice over a long period. They then triggered gut inflammation using a chemical called dextran sulfate sodium. They also tested the colouring on gut bacteria in lab dishes and moved gut bacteria between mice.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These results come from mice and lab dishes, so they cannot show what happens in people eating foods with this colouring.
- The mice had gut inflammation triggered by a chemical, which may not match how bowel problems start in humans.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Nanjing Medical University, P.R. China; Suzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, P.R. China
The paper
- Title
- Chronic Exposure to Sunset Yellow Promotes Susceptibility to Experimental Colitis in Mice through Gut Microbiota
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Shi X, Wan L, Ni S, et al (2025). Chronic Exposure to Sunset Yellow Promotes Susceptibility to Experimental Colitis in Mice through Gut Microbiota. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.5c06410PubMed 40899722DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error