Food Dyes: Harmless or Harmful?

“Artificial food dye consumption has increased by 500% in the last 50 years, and children are the biggest consumers (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source). Claims have been made that artificial dyes cause serious side effects, such as hyperactivity in children, as well as cancer and allergies. The topic is highly controversial and there are many conflicting opinions about the safety of artificial food dyes. This article separates the fact from fiction.”

Artificial Food Dyes & Behavior

“Kids consume AFCs three times more frequently than adults, with daily use increasing fivefold in the last 50 years. Every day, 74 million kids in the U.S. consume the equivalent of at least 2,000 gallons of synthetic dyes. Beverages are the single largest source, because of the large volumes consumed in each serving. Researchers now believe that, although earlier trials used a load of 30 milligrams/day of dye as a baseline to study behavior, kids realistically consume 100-200 milligrams daily—and sometimes as much as 100 milligrams in a single meal. For example, eight Keebler cheese and peanut butter crackers, three Target mini green cupcakes, and eight ounces of Crush Orange contain over 111 milligrams of AFCs. The growing amount of dyes kids ingest today has never been tested for safety.”

Healthy and Natural World

“Another concern about the dangers of food dyes is their effect on children. For example, children tend to consume more artificially colored foods and beverages than adults. Also, their smaller body weight means that children proportionally consume more food dyes than adults. Children’s bodies are also more sensitive to carcinogens than adults.”

A Suicidal Seven-Year-Old and the Effects of Artificial Food Dye

A TedX Talk on YouTube by Dr. Rebecca Bevens “Dr. Rebecca Bevans is a professor and a researcher. She uses her PhD in cognitive neuroscience and her Master’s in child development to teach undergraduate and graduate psychology courses. Her passion for psychology is only rivaled by her passion for her family. When her son’s behavior became disruptive and problematic she used her knowledge and education to find the cause. Today she will be talking about her family’s difficult and emotional journey to finding answers and living dye free.”

Podcast Episode: The Brain Warriors Way

Dr Daniel and Tana Amen shine a light on Red Dye and why it’s harmful to brain health in this short 12 min episode.

Children’s Development & Toxins w/ Dr. Natasha Beck

In this podcast interview with Karalynne Call of Just Ingredients, Dr. Beck shares about common toxins in our children’s diet. Focusing on sugar, artificial dyes, PFOAs/PFAs, bisphenols, and flame retardants, Dr. Beck teaches about their harmful effect on children’s health and how they can be avoided, including tips on how to remove them from your home.

Research: Center for Science in the Public Interest

“Summary: Food dyes, synthesized originally from coal tar and now petroleum, have long been controversial. Many dyes have been banned because of their adverse effects on laboratory animals. This report finds that many of the nine currently approved dyes raise health concerns.”

Research: Nutrition Reviews Journal “Artificial food dyes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”

"Parents of children with ADHD should be counseled to make careful food selections, choosing natural foods with no or limited amounts of synthetic food dyes, if they suspect or have concerns about a food-based association. However, it should be recognized that eliminating artificial food dyes from children's diets is not a panacea for the treatment of ADHD. As recognized by Feingold in his original reports40,41 and in all subsequent investigations, even in the best-case scenarios, only a portion of children respond positively to the removal of synthetic food dyes from the diet. ADHD is a multifaceted disorder, and one treatment will not work for all.”

Talking About the Science: A Collection of Studies and Reviews

An entire collection of links to research on artificial food coloring and it’s impacts on our health edited by Shula Edelkind.