Is this ingredient in processed food to blame for obesity, stomach problems?

It’s in salad dressings, mayonnaise, ice cream and toothpaste. Emulsifiers are added to plenty of processed foods to keep the products fresh and consistency smooth, but new research is warning that the additive may be linked to obesity, inflammation and intestinal issues.

American researchers say that emulsifiers could be tampering with the bacteria in our gut, opening the door to developing diseases such as Crohn’s disease and colitis, an inflammation in the inner lining of the colon.

These diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, affect millions of people. Metabolic syndrome can also lead to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Both of these ailments are on the rise in the Western world.

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Emory University and Cornell University scientists suggest that what we’re eating could be at play in causing a spike in these diseases.

“A key feature of these modern plagues is alteration of the gut microbiota in a manner that promotes inflammation,” according to study co-author Dr. Andrew Gewirtz.

“The dramatic increase in these diseases has occurred despite consistent human genetics, suggesting a pivotal role for an environmental factor. Food interacts intimately with the microbiota so we considered what modern additions to the food supply might possibly make gut bacteria more pro-inflammatory,” Dr. Benoit Chassaing explained.

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The pair guessed that emulsifiers could be culprits in promoting inflammatory disease. For their research, they fed mice two common emulsifiers – polysorbate 80 and carboxmethylcellulsose – at doses that would replicate how much is typically in processed food.

As the mice ate their water and mouse chow spiked with the additive, emulsifier consumption was tied to “pro-inflammatory” changes. Their guts could “digest and infiltrate” the dense mucus layers that line the intestine. Ultimately, chronic colitis was triggered in the mice that were already predisposed to the condition.

Mice with normal immune systems even dealt with minor inflammation, though. In this group, the mice kept eating until they encountered obesity, hyperglycemia and insulin resistance – key factors in Type 2 diabetes.

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While the study was conducted on mice, the researchers’ next steps are to develop experiments that’ll test how emulsifiers affect humans.

“If similar results are obtained, it would indicate a role for this class of food additive in driving the epidemic of obesity, its inter-related consequences and a range of diseases associated with chronic gut inflammation,” the researchers suggest.

Their full findings were published in the journal Nature. Read the study here.

carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
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