Drinking red Kool-Aid and then seeing red in your stool can be an alarming experience. However, there are a few reasons why red Kool-Aid may cause stools to appear reddish in color.
What is Kool-Aid?
Kool-Aid is a popular flavored drink mix that often contains artificial food dyes to give it bright colors like red, blue, or green. The dyes used in Kool-Aid include Red 40, Blue 1, and Yellow 5.
Red 40, also known as Allura Red AC, is a synthetic red food coloring that is used to dye foods and drinks red. It is one of the most widely used food dyes and is found in many processed foods and beverages.
Does Red Kool-Aid dye your stool red?
Drinking red Kool-Aid can absolutely turn your stool red or reddish in color. This is because some of the red dye passes through your digestive system unchanged and colors the stool as it passes out of the body.
Red 40 food coloring has been shown to accumulate in tissues throughout the body, including the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. From there, it can leach into the stool and turn it red.
One study found that eating foods dyed with Red 40 led to detectable amounts of the dye in people’s feces (1). So it’s not surprising that drinking bright red Kool-Aid would lead to red-colored stool.
How long does it take?
In most cases, you’ll notice reddish stools within 24-48 hours of drinking red Kool-Aid. The timing depends on several factors:
- How much Kool-Aid you drank
- Your individual digestive transit time
- Other foods you’ve eaten recently
The more dye you consume from Kool-Aid, the redder your subsequent bowel movements may be. The dye needs time to move through your system, so it may take a day or two to see the full effects.
Is it cause for concern?
Seeing red stool after drinking Kool-Aid is harmless in most cases. While alarming at first glance, it is merely a temporary effect of the red food dye passing through.
However, red stools can sometimes indicate bleeding in the digestive tract. Bleeding can occur due to conditions like hemorrhoids, ulcers, or gastrointestinal cancers.
You should see a doctor if you notice:
- Blood when you wipe
- Very dark, maroon-colored stools
- Stools that are persistently red for more than 2 days
- Other symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea, or weakness
These may be signs of internal bleeding unrelated to drinking Kool-Aid. It’s better to get checked out when in doubt.
Other colored foods that can dye stool
Red Kool-Aid isn’t the only food that can turn your stool funny colors. Here are a few other culprits:
| Food | Color Change |
|---|---|
| Beets | Red/pink |
| Tomato juice | Red/orange |
| Paprika | Red/orange |
| Foods with green food coloring | Green |
| Blueberries | Blue/green |
| Chocolate | Dark brown |
As you can see, many foods and drinks we commonly consume can alter stool color temporarily as the pigments pass through the GI tract. There’s usually no reason to be concerned if the change resolves within a couple days.
Tips for reducing red stool from Kool-Aid
If you want to keep drinking red Kool-Aid but don’t want the aftermath, here are some tips:
- Dilute it with more water to reduce the dye concentration
- Opt for a lighter variation like pink lemonade that has less dye
- Switch to naturally-colored beverages like fruit juices or iced tea
- Choose Kool-Aid flavors that aren’t red, like orange, purple or yellow
- Take activated charcoal capsules – they can bind to some food dye in the GI tract
Keep in mind though, a little red stool now and then from Kool-Aid isn’t harmful. As long as it resolves quickly, it’s just a temporary effect of the dyes.
The bottom line
Drinking red Kool-Aid can absolutely turn your stools red or reddish in color temporarily. This is caused by the synthetic Red 40 food coloring, which is not fully broken down during digestion.
While alarming at first, red stool from Kool-Aid is harmless in most cases. If the color change persists longer than 48 hours or you have other symptoms, see your doctor to rule out bleeding.
To avoid red stools, limit high-dye drinks like red Kool-Aid or switch to more natural beverage options. But an occasional red stool isn’t a medical concern – it’s just a funky side effect of artificial food dyes!
