Allergies Food Allergies Symptoms The Potential Risks of Tartrazine By Daniel More, MD Daniel More, MD, is a board-certified allergist and clinical immunologist. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and currently practices at Central Coast Allergy and Asthma in Salinas, California. Learn about our editorial process Daniel More, MD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Corinne Savides Happel, MD on May 09, 2020 linkedin Corinne Savides Happel, MD, is board-certified in allergies/immunology, with a focus on allergic skin disorders. She is a part-time assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Learn about our Medical Review Board Corinne Savides Happel, MD Updated on May 26, 2020 Print More in Food Allergies Symptoms Common Types Children & Food Allergies Causes & Risk Factors Treatment & Diagnosis Living With Tartrazine, also referred to as FD&C yellow #5, is an artificial (synthetic) food dye. It is one of several azo food dyes that are made from petroleum products. Scisettialfio / Getty Images Artificial food dyes are used to make foods more aesthetically appealing from a visual standpoint. These dyes can be used to create colors not possible with natural products as well as to reinstate the original appearance of a food which may be lost in the production process. Artificial food dyes are also often cheaper and more accessible than natural food dyes. It's important to note that food dyes are present not only in foods but can be found in cosmetics and other products, and some absorption through the skin occurs. Adverse Reactions to Tartrazine Tartrazine has long been suspected of being the cause of many adverse reactions, though not all have been supported by research. Some suspected reactions include: Urticaria (hives)Angioedema (swelling of the lips, tongue, throat, and neck caused by the release of histamine in an allergic reaction)AsthmaAtopic dermatitis (skin rashes related to allergies)Food intolerances The most recent research found that less than 1 percent of allergic patients (those who already have multiple allergies) reacted when tested for their response to tartrazine. There has also been a theory that aspirin-sensitive asthmatics may be especially sensitive to tartrazine, but this theory appears to be largely disproven based on more recent studies. The FDA requires products containing tartrazine to print it on the label. "Yellow No. 5" is also acceptable. Other Concerns Related to Tartrazine Certainly, there have been studies which have looked at other possible concerns with tartrazine added to food dyes or it would not be available in commerce. Those which have looked more closely at genotoxicity (the ability to be toxic to genes), cytotoxicity (the ability of a substance to be toxic to cells), and mutagenicity (the ability of a substance to cause gene mutations) may be unsatisfactory. Unfortunately, many of the studies to date have been done on rats, so we are unsure what meaning these have with regards to humans. Given that azo food dyes such as tartrazine have been banned in many countries, it's important to consider the possible reasons behind these bans based on what we have learned. Tartrazine as a Neurotoxin Tartrazine appears to be a neurotoxin (toxic to cells in the brain) at least in rats. It's thought that tartrazine affects the nervous system in rats in ways that include problems with spacial memory and more. This appears to be significant enough that tartrazine has been tested along with other agents to see if these other agents may play a protective role against damage to the nervous system caused by tartrazine. For example, a 2017 study found that administering vitamin E (a neuro-protective agent) might prevent both the structural and behavioral changes caused by tartrazine—at least in rats. Rats that were given tartrazine have a number of findings in their central nervous system, including a shortage of brain neurotransmitters. Increased cell death in the brain was also noted. It is not known if these changes also pertain to humans. Behavior Problems in Children Whether tartrazine could cause behavioral changes in human children similar to rat progeny haven't been assessed directly to the same degree, but a few studies have been done. Studies looking specifically at the use of artificial food colorings in children have found that large doses (defined as 50 mg or more of AFC) caused a greater negative effect on children than those who received less. Those who raise concern mention that the use of synthetic food dyes has increased by 500% in the past 50 years, at the same that behavioral problems such as ADHD have been increasing. Yet there are many, many changes that have occurred during this time period beyond the adoption of artificial food dyes, and this correlation, as well as a whole host of other possible links, are mostly conjecture. Tartrazine as a Carcinogen One study looking at DNA repair found that tartrazine had no cytotoxic effects, but did have significant genotoxic effects at all concentrations studied. It's important to note that even when our DNA is damaged, we have many repair systems (such as proteins coded for within tumor suppressor genes) which can fix this damage. In the study looking at tartrazine, it was found that most of the damage was amenable to repair, but that some damage did persist in specimens exposed to tartrazine, unlike those not exposed, even 24 hours after exposure. The conclusion was that prolonged exposure to tartrazine could trigger carcinogenesis. Tartrazine During Pregnancy Again, we don't know much about the possible effects of prenatal exposure to artificial food colorings, but several studies have found some problems, such as a decrease in motivation and anxiety in offspring of rats exposed during pregnancy. This does not mean that there is a potential for problems in human infants. Rats and humans are obviously different. There are some substances that cause problems in rats but not in humans and vice versa. What these animal studies suggest, however, is that it is important to further study this issue until more is known. Tartrazine-Free Diet and Labeling The following is a list of foods that often contain tartrazine. While many products are labeled, others, such as ice cream and desserts, are not always labeled as containing tartrazine. Certain breakfast cerealsRefrigerated rolls and quick breadsCake mixesCommercial piesCommercial gingerbreadButterscotch chipsCommercial frostingsCertain instant and regular puddingsCertain ice creams and sherbetsCertain candy coatingsHard candiesColored marshmallowsFlavored carbonated beveragesFlavored drink mixes Food Dyes Used in Commerce In addition to tartrazine, other synthetic colorants are getting more attention. Dyes that are defined as azo food dyes, in addition to tartrazine (FD&C yellow #5), include: Quinoline yellowSunset yellowAxorubinePonceau 4RErythrosineAllura RedPatent blueIndigo carmineBrilliant blue FCFGreen SBrilliant blackBrown HT Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Get one simple hack every day to make your life healthier. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Rajan, J., Simon, R., and J. Bosso. Prevalence of sensitivity to food and drug additives in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, In Practice. 2014. 2(2):168-71. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2013.10.002 Elhkim, M., Heraud, F., Bemrah, N. et al. New considerations regarding the risk assessment on tartrazine. An update toxicological assessment, intolerance reactions and maximum theoretical daily intake in France. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. 2007. 47(3):308-16. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2006.11.004 Soares, B., Araujo, T., Ramos, J., and L. Pinto. Effects on DNA repair in human lymphocytes exposed to the food dye tartrazine yellow. Anticancer Research. 2015. 35(3):1465-74. pmid:25750299 Mohamed, A., Galal, A., and Y. Elewa. Comparative protective effects of royal jelly and cod liver oil against neurotoxic impact of tartrazine on male rat pups brain. Acta Histochemica. 2015. 117(7):649-58. doi:10.1016/j.acthis.2015.07.002 Rafati, A., Nourzei, N., Karbalay-Doust, S., and A. Noorafshan. Using vitamin E to prevent the impairment in behavioral test, cell loss and dendrite changes in medical prefrontal cortex induced by tartrazine in rats. Acta Histochemica. 2017 Jan 23. doi:10.1016/j.acthis.2017.01.004 Additional Reading Doguc, ., Aylak, F., Ilhan, I., Kulac, E., and F. Gultekin. Are there any remarkable effects of prenatal exposure to food colourings on neurobehavior and learning process in rat offspring? Nutritional Neuroscience. 2015. 18(1):12-21. doi:10.1179/1476830513Y.0000000095 Stevens, L., Burgess, J., Stochelski, M., and T. Kuczek. Amounts of artificial food colors in commonly consumed beverages and potential behavioral implications for consumption in children. Clinical Pediatrics. 2014. 53(2):133-40. doi:10.1177/0009922813502849 Tattersall, I., and B. Reddy. Fixed drug eruption due to achiote dye. Case Reports in Dermatology. 2016. 8(1):14-8. doi:10.1159/000443949 Yamjala, K., Nainar, M., and N. Ramisetti. Methods for the analysis of azo dyes employed in food industry—A review. Food Chemistry. 2016. 192:813-24. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.07.085