Back in the early days of Earth Clinic, a theory emerged about the potential link between ice cream consumption and the onset of flu-like symptoms and sinus infections. The theory suggested that consuming ice cream from brands that contained artificial flavors, such as Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, and Wendy's, could lead to fever, headache, congestion, and general malaise within 24 hours. The supposed virus would disappear within a day, only to be replaced by a severe sinus infection with intense sinus pressure and heavily blocked and infected sinus passages. Unlike a genuine virus or allergy, there would be no runny nose.
To investigate this theory, people who had contracted sinus infections were asked whether they had consumed ice cream within two days before the onset of the infection. An overwhelming majority reported that they had indeed eaten ice cream before getting sick, providing initial evidence to support the theory. This prompted further investigations, and in subsequent studies, the link between ice cream consumption and the onset of flu-like symptoms and sinus infections was confirmed.
Today, we know that this theory, which emerged over 20 years ago, has been proven. If you or your children indulge in ice cream from brands that contain artificial flavors, be aware of the potential risks and the symptoms that may occur within 24 hours of consumption.
According to Earth Clinic's theory, it's not the listed ingredients in ice cream causing the bogus flu and sinus infections. It's the so-called "natural" and artificial flavorings. As children growing up in the 1970s and 80s, we ate lots of ice cream and never experienced a sinus infection. However, the infections started to occur in the late 1990s, always after eating ice cream from stores like Baskin Robbins or Dairy Queen, and never during a cold or flu.
We strongly believe that if someone conducted a study on this subject, they would find a nationwide spike in sinus infections starting around the time companies began adding chemically complicated artificial flavors to ice cream.
A 2006 excerpt from Eric Schlosser's book, Fast Food Nation, sheds light on the typical ingredients found in a Burger King strawberry milkshake. The list includes a plethora of compounds and artificial flavors. While there's nothing illegal about these ingredients, they're all within the law, and food labels can include them under the umbrella term "flavorings." To make artificial flavorings believable, the correct "mouth feel" must be achieved, which is achieved by adding starches, emulsifiers, stabilizers, sugars, and fats.
6/29/2006: Penny from Fresno, CA was kind enough to send us the following excerpt. You can find even more information on this subject at: http://www.rense.com/general7/whyy.htm
"In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser looks at the typical ingredients in a Burger King strawberry milkshake: amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenyl-glycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone, a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, run ether, y-undercalctone, vanillin and solvent.
It would appear that underneath the natural and artificial flavours, an abundance of compounds lay. There is nothing illegal going on here. This is all within the law. Likewise with food labels, they too can include all these ingredients and place them under the umbrella term of 'flavourings'. It's really rather frightening. The value of flavourings is of tremendous importance to the fast food industry, which require their foods be standardized, and flavourings can offer a standardized product. In order that artificial flavourings are made believable, the correct 'mouth feel' must be gained. This is achieved by the addition of starches, emulsfiers, stabilizers, sugars and fats (Marsili, 1993, Food Product Design). So next time you pop into your favourite fast food outlet for a milkshake, take a moment and think about what's really in this stuff."
Given this information, it's understandable to be concerned about what's really in our food, including ice cream and other fast foods. So, next time you're thinking of indulging in a milkshake or a cone, take a moment to consider the potential risks and make an informed decision.
UPDATE:
Since our original article was published in 2002, several others have discussed the potential connection between ice cream consumption, sinus infections, and artificial flavorings. For example, a New York Times article from May 6th, 2007, written by Jesse McKinley, titled "Flavoring-Factory Illnesses Raise Inquiries," discussed a rare, life-threatening lung condition called "bronchiolitis obliterans" that has affected several flavoring factory workers in California. This condition is usually found only in people who are exposed to chemical fires or chemical warfare or in lung transplant patients.
While no one else on the web appears to be discussing the connection between artificial flavorings and the bogus flu/virus condition, we believe it's essential to look into these side effects more seriously. Our theory is supported by various sources, including the Livestrong article "Sweets That Cause Sinus Problems," the zhealthinfo.com article "Ice Cream and Sinus Infections," and the Yahoo Voices article "Sinus Infections Causes You Didn't Know About."
If you suffer from sinus infections, consider exploring natural remedies for relief, such as those found on our page dedicated to sinus headache relief from folk cures. However, if you suspect that your ice cream consumption is causing your symptoms, it's crucial to avoid ice cream brands that contain artificial flavorings.
Continue reading below for feedback from hundreds of our readers who got sinus infections after eating artificially flavored ice cream.
