ABSTRACT
This work aimed to study the physiological changes in body weight, blood picture, thyroid hormones [T3 and T4] and liver functions as well as to examine the histochemical and histopathological changes in the liver of young male rats after receiving one of two colors additives mixture commonly used in local food factories in the Egyptian market [colour I, tartrazine and carmoisine and colour II, brilliant blue, sunset yellow, tartrazine and carmoisine] at a dose level of 0.3 g% in drinking water for 8 weeks. This work was also extended to study the possible protective role of a regular daily intake of bees honey [3.3 mg/kg b.wt.] against the disturbances induced by these colours additives. In conclusion, the tested synthetic food colours additives induced physiological disturbances in rats. On the other hand, the administration of bees honey plays an important protective role against the deleterious effects of the colours additives. However, even recent studies of the carcinogenic and other adverse properties of these compounds have failed to provide a basis for the confident prediction of the physiological specifications; hence, there is still a necessity of their metabolic and toxicological properties