Food colorings and migraine

A study just published in the British medical journal Lancet reports on the effect of food colorings in children. This study found that food colorings cause symptoms of attention deficit disorder in young children. Many of my patients report that food colorings, and more often food preservatives, trigger their migraines. The role of colorings, preservatives and sugar substitutes in causing migraine headaches has not been evaluated as rigorously as it was done in this Lancet study of children and remains controversial. However, this study clearly indicates that food colorings can have a negative effect on the brain, which makes it very likely that some migraine sufferers may benefit from eliminating colorings (and preservatives and sugar substitutes) from their diets.