A doctor has warned that a common additive found in almost half of “ultra-processed foods” in the UK could “promote” a serious health issue.
Dr Federica Amati, a leading nutritionist, says there have been studies that suggest emulsifiers impact the microbiome of the gut. However, she says these studies have mostly been carried out on animals, such as mice.
Studies in mice however found emulsifiers have been found to encourage metabolic syndrome and inflammation. This can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and strokes, the NHS says.
According to Zoe, emulsifiers are an additive that can be found in foods ranging from cake mix to beer. They are often added to make items that shouldn’t mix together, such as water and oil, or vinegar and oil when found in mayonnaise.
Speaking on Zoe’s Science and Nutrition podcast, Dr Amati said: “There have been several studies on mice that showed common emulsifiers do impact the health of their gut microbiome. They appear to create an imbalance in the gut microbes, which promotes metabolic syndrome and inflammation.
“If you imagine our gut biome has layers, so our gut microbes make things like short chain fatty acids, which are fatty, but we also have like a water layer in the gut. You can imagine that if we eat a lot of these emulsifiers it kind of messes up that balance, that separation of that fatty layer, which we want to maintain in the gut microbiome.
“So when you think about that, these mouse studies start to make a bit of sense. Another mouse study concluded that the emulsifier carboxymethyl cellulose, which is often CMC on food packaging and is really ubiquitous, is an ideal suspect to account for the rise of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in the 20th century.”
Dr Amati says there have been human studies so far, although these have largely been “observational”. This means we cannot assume the emulsifiers have caused the change, but the science suggests they are an “emerging risk”.
She also highlighted a study that found the emulsifier carrageenan, which is often made from red seaweed and used to thicken food, caused relapses in people with IBS.
She added: “We know that emulsifiers play an important role in our food and that they’re very widely used, especially in ultra-processed foods, but the data we have does point towards a negative impact on our health overall.”
Dr Amati concluded that more research is needed to see the complete impact of emulsifiers but concluded the signs “really aren’t positive”. She says people with IBS or wanting to improve their gut microbiome should look at “cutting down” on their intake of emulsifiers and ultra-processed foods.
One swap she suggested was changing flavoured Greek yoghurt for an unflavoured version and adding the taste by using blended up berries. Experts at Zoe meanwhile believe a largely plant-based diet will improve gut health.