Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Wired on Red Dye | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
Hi, I'm interested in getting some 411 on the red dye put in our food and/or drinks--especially red jello or the dye that is in children's Motrin. Can this affect a child? My child has taken both of the above stated products and was "wired" very shortly for about 1 to 2 hours.— Beauty in FL | | | ANSWER |
February 26, 2002 | | | Dear Beauty,
Thanks for this interesting question. It's not uncommon for parents to suspect that their children are sensitive to certain foods--top of the list is often refined sugar, but red dye is commonly on the list as well. There have been a few careful studies of children's behavior as it relates to food additives. In one study, researchers gave children who had the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder either a diet that had additives, such as red dye, or one that was completely additive free. To make sure that the children really did get only the special diet, the researchers made all of the food themselves and had everyone in the family agree to eat the same stuff. The food looked and tasted identical, so that people couldn't tell what diet they were on.
The bottom line? On average, there was no difference between the behavior of the children on the artificial diet compared to those on the all-natural diet. But--and this is rather significant--there were a few children--roughly 1 in 100--who were clearly much more active and out of control on the artificial diet. So, I have come to believe that for most children, red dye and other artificial substances probably don't make any difference. But for some children, they probably do. It may be that your child is one of the latter.
If you want to be more sure one way or the other, you'll need to experiment. Mix some red-dye-containing food, like red jello, into a food that is already red and has a strong taste (say, spaghetti sauce), so that it doesn't look or taste any different. Feed it to your child and watch to see if his behavior is different. A few days later, feed him the all-natural stuff, and observe again. Better yet, have your husband or friend observe your child on those days, and don't tell him or her what you did--that's what we call a "blinded trial." The point is, you don't want the beliefs of whoever is observing to bias their observations.
This is a harmless and interesting thing to do, and it may give you the answer you seek. If the red jello results in wilder behavior, then you can steer clear of it. If not, then your son may not be sensitive to the food dye after all.
(It's also possible, of course, that you need to observe your child for a longer period of time both on and off artifical food coloring; this can become very difficult, since it means knowing everything your child eats, even when he is not with you.)
I think it's wise to reduce intake of artifical ingredients anyhow, on the commonsense theory that natural food may be more wholesome (a theory for which I have no scientific evidence, however.)— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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