Food Colorings and Migraine Headaches

by Dr. Alexander Mauskop

A study 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.

Read Artificial Sweeteners, Not So Sweet

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, preservatives and sugar substitutes from their diets.

Alexander Mauskop MD, FAAN, Associate Professor of Neurology at SUNY – Downstate Medical Center, is the Director and founder of the New York Headache Center. Dr. Mauskop is board-certified in Neurology with subspecialty certification in Headache Medicine. He has delivered over 400 scientific presentations and lectures and is a reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine, Neurology, Headache, and several other medical journals. For the past 21 years, has been the Director of an annual educational symposium for physicians. Over 200 doctors from around the world have visited the New York Headache Center to learn advanced treatment techniques.

Dr. Mauskop is the author of Migraine and Headache (Oxford American Pain Library) and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Migraines: The Breakthrough Program That Can Help End Your Pain.

He has repeatedly been chosen as one of New York magazine’s Best Doctors in New York, as one of New York Times Magazine’s, “Super Doctors” and as Castle and Connolly’s “Best Doctors”. Dr. Mauskop has appeared on television shows including Tom Brokaw’s News Hour, Extra, and PBS specials, and he has been featured in Vogue, O Magazine, and many other publications. He has given lectures at the medical schools of Cornell, Harvard, Columbia, NYU and Dartmouth, and at the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic.