Artificial dyes like Red #40, Blue #1, and Yellow #5 are in the spotlight.
While it's a hot topic now, here at Kaged, we’ve been talking about why they don’t belong in your supplements or sports drinks for years.
In today’s article, we’re going to break down what these artificial colors (dyes) are, where they come from, the research on them, and why we keep them out of Kaged supplements.
What Are Artificial Dyes?
Artificial food dyes are synthetic chemicals used to color foods and drinks. Most are derived from petroleum, the same crude oil used to fuel cars and make plastic.
Many of these dyes have been linked to health concerns ranging from hyperactivity to cancer in animal studies. As we'll discuss, some are worse than others, but none provide any benefit to your health.
You’ll find them in brightly colored cereals like fruit-flavored loops, chewy snacks like gummy bears, rainbow-colored ice pops, and even in popular sports drinks. You already know that's pure junk food. But they're also used in products meant to support your health: dietary supplements.
Sometimes they’re added to protein powders, pre-workouts, and other supplements to make them look more intense or “fun.”
Why Are They Used?
One word: marketing.
Artificial dyes are a cheap way to make products look more vibrant, more appealing, and more “fun.” This is part of a long tradition in the U.S. of using chemicals and additives to make junk food more enticing. Think of the neon cereals, candies, and sports drinks of your youth.
Nutritionally, they are useless. They provide no value. Their only purpose is to give the products bright colors that entice people, often children.
They’re Banned or Restricted... Even In Parts of the U.S.
The pushback against these chemicals, and the idea that they have negative health consequences, is nothing new.
In the U.S., over a dozen artificial dyes are already banned. In other industrialized countries, they have even tougher restrictions. In particular, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 have stricter regulations.
In the EU, there must be a label for these. In Japan, the notorious Red 40 is banned altogether.
Two years ago, California passed a bill which will ban six food dyes, including the three mentioned, from public schools starting in 2028.
Given that various governments around have restricted or banned these, we believe you should second-guess a supplement if it's filled with chemical dyes and has a bright neon color.
They have no place in any product that's marketed to be a positive for your health or performance.
Artificial Food Dyes and Health: What the Research Says
Multiple studies, especially clinical trials in children, have linked synthetic food dyes (like Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Blue No. 1) to behavioral changes, gut problems, and even carcinogenic concerns.
Most of the research is on kids. That's important to note. As a supplement company, we do not market or recommend that anybody under 18 take our products. Our products are full adults. Other supplement companies could say that, due to this, there's no problem with putting artificial stuff that has been shown to affect kids the most.
Our logic is different. If it's harming children, we definitely don't want to expose adults either.
Below is a breakdown of the evidence.
Hyperactivity & Behavior
Many controlled trials report that diets with artificial colors can slightly worsen attention and hyperactivity. For example, a 2022 review found that of 25 double-blind child challenge studies, over half (52%) saw a statistically significant link between dye exposure and increased hyperactivity or ADHD-like behaviors.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) judged that evidence “limited” (not consistent enough to change guidelines), whereas the FDA’s own advisory committee in 2011 did not ban dyes (an 8–6 vote) but acknowledged a “small significant deleterious effect” on children’s behavior. This is outlined in this 2012 review.
In plain terms, dyes can subtly worsen focus and attention in some kids. That's all the info we need to keep it out of supplements.
May Impact Gut Health
Emerging animal studies show dyes can disrupt the gut.
In mice prone to inflammatory bowel disease, Allura Red (Red No. 40) exposure early in life worsened later colitis and chronic low-level gut inflammation.
Another study found that gut bacteria metabolize Red 40 and Yellow 6 into compounds (ANSA-Na) that can trigger colitis in genetically susceptible mice.
Right now, we're lacking human research on this.
Cancer Risk (Animal & Mechanistic Data)
A few dyes have shown cancer signals in lab animals, though interpretation varies.
Red No. 40 (Allura Red) itself is not officially classified as carcinogenic by regulators. However, recent studies raise eyebrows: one mouse study found that long-term Red 40 plus a high-fat diet caused DNA damage and low-grade inflammation in the colon, echoing earlier work that Red 40 can induce subtle colon inflammation.
No Upside. Only Risk.
Even though the research is strongest in children, there is zero good reason for these dyes to be in your supplements. They do nothing for your health, recovery, or performance.
“But Aren’t There Bigger Things to Worry About?”
The argument for artificial dyes makes sense on a broader societal scale. Many argue that focusing on artificial dyes is losing the forest for the trees. Societally, we agree. Tens of millions of Americans should worry more about the sugar spike of the fruit loops, rather than the artificial dyes of the fruit loops.
If someone’s living off fast food and soda, maybe artificial dyes aren’t their top priority. But here’s how we see it:
If your goal is peak performance, to get that 5% edge, to optimize your health, then the trees matter.
We believe health is built on the daily choices you make. Clean ingredients. Smart habits. Honest transparency. And that means avoiding unnecessary chemicals that provide zero benefit to your body.
How to Spot Artificial Dyes
In the U.S., products that contain synthetic dyes aren’t required to carry warning labels. The only way to avoid them? Check the label.
Look for ingredients like:
- Red 40
- Blue 1
- Yellow 5
- Allura Red
- Sunset Yellow
If you see these, steer clear.
The "No Brown M&M Clause": The Other Problem with Artificial Dyes
In The Checklist Manifesto, Atul Gawande tells the story of David Lee Roth's famous "no brown M&M clause." He writes that Van Halen's "contracts with concert promoters contain a clause specifying that a bowl of M&M’s has to be provided backstage, but with every single brown candy removed, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation to the band."
Yes, it sounds insane, but Gawande continues, it had a purpose. Quoting Lee Roth, "When I would walk backstage, if I saw a brown M&M in that bowl,” he wrote, “well, we’d line-check the entire production. Guaranteed you’re going to arrive at a technical error… Guaranteed you’d run into a problem.”
The brown M&M clause was a litmus test for whether concert venues paid attention to detail. We see the use of artificial dyes the same way.
If a sports nutrition brand can't get past the neon glow and the flashy marketing and decide to put something in with no other purpose, what else could they be hiding? What else could go wrong?
Artificial dyes do not belong in your supplements, whether they're regulated by governments or not.
FAQ
How Are Kaged Supplements Colored?
If we don't use artificial colors, how do we color Kaged supplements?
First, you'll notice that our supplements do not have that neon, artificial color. It's more subtle. Second, we rely on naturally occurring colors from fruits and vegetables. If you look closely at our labels (depending on the flavor), you'll see beet juice powder or vegetable juice powder.
If you've had beets before, you know they have a bright color, making a trace amount perfect to help us color our supplements. Other vegetables provide bright colors, too. Depending on the flavor, we'll use other vegetables.
What About Artificial Sweeteners?
Great question. You can make the same argument against artificial sweeteners, which we do use in our flavored products.
First, at Kaged, we avoid the artificial sweeteners like aspartame and Ace-K. We use a blend of stevia and sucralose. Stevia is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener.
The safe limit for sucralose is 5mg per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 150lb person, that’s about 340mg per day. One packet of brand-name sucralose contains only 12mg. So to exceed the safe limit, you’d need to consume 28 packets in a single day.
You could make the same argument for caffeine, bananas, or even spinach. At reasonable amounts, sucralose is safe.
Second, while artificial colors have no real benefit, artificial sweeteners do: they help us create great-tasting products without excess sugar.
