Between 1955 and 1998, the United States' production of food dyes quadrupled. Food dyes, or artificial food colors, are used in a wide variety of food products, including breakfast cereals, gelatin desserts, drink powders, candy, ice cream, pudding, and prepared bakery products. Some artificial food colors have been implicated in increasing hyperactivity and contributing to allergies, sleep problems, and irritability in children, so researchers from Columbia University in New York City and Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, examined a possible link between artificial food colors and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
By searching medical databases, researchers identified 15 previously published studies that examined the behavioral effects of artificial food colors on kids and teens under 18. In some of the studies, children who'd been diagnosed as hyperactive were given artificial food colors or an inactive placebo drug before their behavior was evaluated. In other studies, children ate diets free of artificial food colors and their behavior was compared to kids who ate their routine diets. By combining the data and conclusions from the previously published studies, researchers could draw some conclusions about a possible relationship between artificial food colors and ADHD.
Overall, the behavior ratings of the children studied suggested that there might be a link between the ingestion of artificial food colors and hyperactivity. In addition, researchers noted that parents were more sensitive to changes in the child's behavior due to artificial food color consumption than teachers were. However, the study results weren't clear about whether the relationship between artificial food colors and hyperactivity was due to allergic reactions or the biological properties of food colors.
What This Means to You: Consuming artificial food colors could contribute to hyperactivity in some children, the authors of this study maintain. Although more research is needed before a definitive link between the two can be claimed, keep in mind that artificial food colors don't really serve any beneficial purpose in your child's diet. Ensuring that your child eats a wide variety of fresh, healthy foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and avoiding or reducing the consumption of commercially packaged and prepared foods are simple ways you can reduce your child's consumption of artificial food colors if you're concerned about it.
Source: David W. Schab, MD, MPPH; Nhi-Ha T. Trinh, MD, MPH; Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, December 2004
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: January 2005
