Food Emulsifier Causes Obesity
We are what we eat: Food emulsifiers cause inflammation in the gut and obesity. Processed foods have changed the way we eat. Food can be stored longer on shelves, but can this pose a risk to our health? In a new study published in the scientific journal Nature, researchers investigated how the widely used processed food additives, emulsifiers, play a role in gut health.
Emulsifiers are added to most processed foods to extend shelf life, prevent separation, and create a smooth texture to foods. The research team fed the animals with two of the most common emulsifiers on the market - polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose - in doses similar to those taken by humans from processed foods. They observed that the emulsifiers changed the intestinal microflora of mice (the microbiome), i.e. the 100 trillion bacteria inside the intestinal tract. This led to increased chances of developing obesity-related pathological disorders and inflammatory bowel disease. Finally, it is no coincidence that these two pathological conditions have increased since 1950.
"The dramatic increase in these diseases has occurred despite the stability of the human genome, thus suggesting a central role in some changing environmental factors," said the researchers. "Food interacts closely with the gut microbiome, so it is thought that modern additions to the entire food chain could potentially lead the composition of the gut microbiome to a more pro-inflammatory condition."
Emulsifiers are groups of molecules that contain hydrophilic and lipophilic parts and help to homogenize food. Mayonnaise without an emulsifier, for example, would separate into an oily phase and a thicker white phase at the bottom of the jar. When the emulsifiers were digested by the animals, their blood glucose levels were deregulated and inflammation of the intestinal epithelium was caused, which led to an increase in body weight around the abdomen. The change in the intestinal flora led to chronic colitis and metabolic syndrome, i.e. obesity, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance.
Eventually, microbiologists say, "We are what we eat." If our diet consists of margarine, mayonnaise, creamy sauces, sweets, ice creams, and other processed foods, our gut is at risk.
"We do not disagree with the widespread belief that overeating is the leading cause of obesity and metabolic syndrome," said the authors of the study. "Our findings support the idea of previous studies that low-grade inflammation resulting from microflora changes may be the main cause of overeating."
The researchers in this study found that processed foods are very likely to cause addiction and overeating. The brain reacts to processed foods in a similar way that reacts to hard drugs. High-calorie processed foods provide a significant amount of energy and that’s the reason why the body craves them. However, there is a point of quantity, beyond which - the way the gut reacts to food - changes.
Source: Chassaing B, Gewirtz AT, Koren O, Goodrich JK, Poole AC, Srinivasan S, and Ley RE. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome. Nature. 2015
