I Spy Something Red

Could Your Child Be Sensitive to Red Food Dye?

By Deborah Boehle

When a friend first told Lori Larowe, of Troy, Mich., that her 4-year-old daughter's undesirable behavior might be caused by a reaction to red food dye, she was skeptical.

"I had three kids, and none of them had any allergies that I knew of," says Larowe. "I had never even heard of kids being allergic to red dye, but since I had nothing to lose, I decided to try it."

Larowe was amazed by the change in her child's behavior after red dye was eliminated from her diet.

"Prior to this, I had been having to send her to her room once or twice or more a day because of her crying, screaming, kicking, tantrums, etc.," Larowe says. "I've had her off red dye for a couple months now and I can probably count on one hand the number of times she's gotten into trouble in that time."

Such stories do not surprise Jane Hersey, author of Why Can't My Child Behave? and national director of the Feingold Association, a support group for parents of children who cannot tolerate artificial food additives and may be sensitive to specific foods.

Hersey says she hears stories like Larowe's every day, from mothers whose children were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or who wet the bed chronically or suffer debilitating migraines, and when the offending food or food additive was removed from the diet, the child's symptoms disappeared.

"What we deal with in most people is not an allergic response but a sensitivity," says Hersey. "If your family moved to a city that was very polluted, different family members would react differently. One might have an asthmatic attack. Another would get a headache, but you wouldn't say you're allergic to pollution."

Want to see more?

• Focusing On Ritalin
• Do you suspect that your child may be sensitive to red food dye? Tell us about it at the Food Allergies Discussion Board!
• Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder by Dr. William Sears