Can Food Dyes Cause Stomach Pain?

What Are Food Dyes?

"Food dyes are usually added to foods, beverages and cosmetics for appearance purposes," says New York City-based Ashley Baumohl, RD, CDN, an assistant clinical nutrition manager at Lenox Hill Hospital. "They can enhance coloring and make products more appealing to the human eye." Think mac 'n' cheese, sports drinks, breakfast cereals and breads, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Is There Such a Thing as a Food Dye Intolerance or Allergy?

"A food allergy," Baumohl says, "involves an immune response where the body is essentially trying to defend itself from invaders." And food allergies can cause cramping, stomach pain and/or diarrhea, per the Cleveland Clinic.

But Baumohl says there's no solid proof that either issue plays any notable stomach-churning role.

"There is just not enough research to indicate improper digestion of food dyes, and while it is possible to have an allergy to food dyes, reactions are relatively rare," she says. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) also cites a lack of research on the subject.

Allergy symptoms are also usually mild and typically involve skin trouble in the form of hives or swelling, Baumohl says, rather than stomachaches or diarrhea.

There is, however, one additive that offers somewhat of a twist: sulfites. Technically, sulfites are not food dyes. But as both the AAAAI and the Cleveland Clinic note, they're added to many fruits, vegetables, wines and beers as a way to preserve color and prevent browning.

Some people may have an "allergic-like" reaction to sulfites resulting in gastrointestinal problems, including stomach pain and cramping, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, according to Food Allergy Canada.

Food Dyes and Other Concerns

Stomachaches aside, can food coloring make you sick in other ways? Perhaps.

Take carmine, a natural red dye formulated from the crushed remains of the cochineal insect, according to the American Chemical Society. Carmine may raise the risk for hives, skin swelling, asthma, dermatitis and a potentially serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, per a 2019 review in Acta Biomedica.

Two yellow dyes annatto and tartrazine (yellow dye 5) have also been linked to trouble, the Acta Biomedica study notes: annatto to hives and swelling in children and anaphylaxis in adults; tartrazine to pediatric hives, atopic dermatitis, irritability, restlessness and insomnia.

Some studies have suggested food dyes might trigger pediatric attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the FDA has determined that to date, no studies have proven this link and more research is needed.

Read more: Is the Food Dye Red 40 Dangerous to Your Health?

Read more on: livestrong