Red 3 food dye causes cancer

This lab study found that Red No. 3 food dye can stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells in a dish and shows signs of damaging DNA in those cells.

• The experiments used cancer cells in a dish, not real people — what happens in a lab dish often doesn't translate to the human body
• Only 3 cell samples were used per experiment, which is far too few to draw reliable conclusions
• The p53 response used to suggest DNA damage can also be triggered by non-damaging stresses like low oxygen
• The two cell types compared to cancer cells were biologically different in multiple ways, not just in their estrogen receptors, making the comparison less clean than it appears
• The authors themselves say more studies in living organisms are needed before any conclusion about cancer risk in people can be drawn