Should You Stress About Artificial Colors?

You Should Know: It’s fair to wonder what that electric-blue drink is doing inside your or your child’s body (even if a cool polar bear is on the packaging). Artificial food dyes are getting a lot of attention lately, with some people raising concerns while others say these worries are overblown. So what’s the truth? It seems to fall somewhere in between.

Going Deeper: Artificial dyes like Red 40 or Yellow 5 are FDA-approved, and most research hasn’t found clear evidence that they’re dangerous. A few studies suggest some children may be sensitive to certain dyes, which could affect behavior, but the effect is small and doesn’t appear in everyone. One dye, Red No. 3, raised cancer concerns in animal studies, and it’s already disappearing from products as regulators phase it out. 

Takeaway: The research on food dyes is murky, putting them somewhere between “not great” and “not disastrous,” either. So it’s not the end of the world if you occasionally sneak a few gummy bears.

Bottom Line: Worry less about the color and more about overall quality. Filling your cart with whole foods will make the biggest difference for your long-term health.