Yahoo... WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Common additives in ice cream, margarine, packaged bread and many processed foods may promote the inflammatory bowel diseases ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease as well as a group of obesity-related conditions, scientists said on Wednesday.
The researchers focused on emulsifiers, chemicals added to many food products to improve texture and extend shelf life. In mouse experiments, they found emulsifiers can change the species composition of gut bacteria and induce intestinal inflammation.
Such inflammation is associated with the frequently debilitating Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis as well as metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase risk for type-2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Mice were fed emulsifiers diluted in drinking water or added into food, which were found to trigger low-grade intestinal inflammation and features of metabolic syndrome such as blood glucose level abnormalities, increased body weight and abdominal fat weight.
Consuming emulsifiers increased the risk of colitis, mimicking human inflammatory bowel disease, in mice genetically susceptible to the condition, the study found.
Georgia State University microbiologist Benoit Chassaing, whose study appears in the journal Nature, said the effects seen in mice "may be observed in humans as well."
The study involved two widely used emulsifiers, polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose. The researchers are planning human studies and are already studying other emulsifiers.
Emulsifiers are used in margarine, mayonnaise, creamy sauces, candy, ice cream, packaged processed foods and baked goods. They can make products like mayonnaise smooth and creamy instead of an unappetizing amalgam of water and oily globules.
A key feature of inflammatory bowel diseases and metabolic syndrome is a change in the gut microbiota - the roughly 100 trillion bacteria that inhabit the intestinal tract - in ways that promote inflammation. In mice given emulsifiers, the bacteria were more apt to digest and infiltrate the dense mucus layer that lines and protects the intestines.
Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome started rising in the mid-20th century at roughly the same time that food manufacturers began widespread emulsifier use, the researchers said.
"We were thinking there was some non-genetic factor out there, some environmental factor, that would be explaining the increase in these chronic inflammatory diseases," Georgia State immunologist Andrew Gewirtz said.
"And we thought that emulsifiers were a good candidate because they are so ubiquitous and their use has roughly paralleled the increase in these diseases. But I guess we were surprised at how strong the effects were."
(Reporting by Will Dunham; Editing by Leslie Adler) 158 Comments
Poster Comment:
L.C.by T. The Institute for Responsible Technology gives 65-health risk reasons that will make you doubt the safety of consuming GMOs and wonder if the FDA can be trusted to protect us. Rats that were fed Monsanto's Mon 863 Bt corn for 90 days, showed significant changes in their blood cells; livers and kidneys, which might indicate disease. Although experts demanded follow-up, Monsanto used unscientific, contradictory arguments to dismiss concerns. Rats that were fed potatoes engineered to produce their own insecticide developed potentially pre-cancerous cell growth in the digestive tract, inhibited development of their brains, livers and testicles. There was partial atrophy of the liver, enlarged pancreases and intestines and they suffered damage to their immune system. The cause was not the insecticide, but in all likelihood it was the process of genetic engineering. Seven of 20 rats die after being fed the GM FlavrSavr tomato for 28 days, the rats had developed stomach lesions (bleeding stomachs); in another study 7 of 40 rats died within two weeks. Despite unresolved safety questions, of the FDA scientists, the tomato was approved for sale, and stamped safe for consumption by consumers. Mice were fed either GM potatoes engineered to produce the Bt-toxin or natural potatoes spiked with Bt-toxin. In both cases the diets created abnormal and excessive cell growth in the lower part of their small intestine. Similar damage to the human small intestine might result in incontinence or flu-like symptoms, and may be pre-cancerous. This study overturns the assumptions that Bt-toxin is destroyed during digestion and therefore is not biologically active in mammals. After cotton harvest in parts of India, sheep herds grazed continuously on Bt cotton plants. Reports from four villages revealed that about 25% of the sheep died within a week. Post mortem studies suggest that the deaths were due to toxic reactions. Some individuals have held positions at Monsanto and in US government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Supreme Court at various points in their careers. These include: Mr. Earle H. Harbison, Jr. served with the Central Intelligence Agency for 18 years, rising to the rank of Deputy Director, after which he had a career at Monsanto, rising to the roles of President, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of Monsanto, which he held from 1986 to 1993. Michael A. Friedman, MD, was Senior Vice President of Research and Development of Medical and Public Policy for Pharmacia, and later served as an FDA deputy commissioner. Linda J. Fisher was an assistant administrator at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before she was a vice president at Monsanto from 1995 to 2000. In 2001, Fisher became the deputy administrator of the EPA. Michael R. Taylor was an assistant to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner before working as an attorney for King & Spalding, a private-sector law firm that represented Monsanto among other clients. He later served as deputy commissioner for policy to the FDA on food safety between 1991 and 1994 during which time the FDA approved rBST. He was accused of a conflict of interest, but a federal investigation cleared him. Following his tenure at the FDA, Taylor returned to Monsanto as Vice President for Public Policy. On July 7, 2009, Taylor entered government as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration for the Obama administration. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas worked as an attorney for Monsanto. Thomas wrote the majority opinion in the 2001 Supreme Court decision J. E. M. Ag Supply, Inc. v. Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. which found that, newly developed plant breeds are patentable under the general utility patent laws of the United States.24-10
Jeannemarie To say that consuming "emulsifiers" increases risk of colitis or anything else is, once again, very unnecessary and unfair media hype. There are 1,000's of different emulsifiers in food - both naturally present and added. Egg yolk is a very well known emulsifier. My point is that this is interesting but there is clearly more work to be done to see what types or classes of emulsifiers may be the most problematic before we extrapolate the results and demonize yet another food component. 22-7
jacogirl I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 1991. In 2009 I stopped eating wheat gluten in my diet and have never had to go back to the GI doctor or take the expensive medicine again. With added probiotics and a strict diet, happily no colitis. I am sure that this is one of many man made additives that can prove to be eliminated and can cause undue inflammation in the colon. We never had these diseases in the 19th century. Messing with food is causing global diseases. I am sure you know of someone who has a disease that was not diagnosed in the 19th century. We all do! 24
Richard I have Ulcerative Colitis however I have very little if any problems with it at all because I take probiotics (primal defense) flax seed oil and cod liver oil and I eat healthy as well. I seemed to improve the most when I started taking probiotics regularly. 28-1
bodhibrother My father told me this when I was a kid and I'm 56 years old - stay away from any food with chemical additives...simply because it's not food any more. For 2 or 3 years in my late teens/early 20s I ate the non-food and gained unnecessary weight, lost my good complexion, started feeling slower and stupid and having health issues. When I realized what I was doing to myself I went totally organic and vegetarian and the health issues cleared up, the weight went back down almost immediately, and I could think quickly and clearly again. I've had no major health issues in 35 years and have strong, natural immunity. I've modified my diet over time to suit nutritional needs and such, but I would never eat non-food again - everything that comes out of the Industrial Food Complex is tainted. You cannot possibly improve upon what Nature provides.26-2
Sally Study carrageenan, too. It is a thickener used in many foods such as ice cream, coffee creamers, dairy substitutes. It can cause all kinds of digestive issues like IBS. It doesn't need to be in our food supply. Many people don't realize this is a bad additive. Natural but not good.27-11
Mj... On a semi-side note...poly/disaccharides (multi-sugar chains)-ie; starches take longer to break down in the gut-emulsifiers do not help. Starch is in most processed foods, even gluten free. Because of the longer transit time caused by breakdowns of these multi-sugar chain foods, the overgrowth of bad bacteria and even good bacteria can affect the lining of the gut & intestine overall. Fungi (yeast), bacteria, even virals (zoster virus' often get support from fungal breakdown of tissue) can destroy healthy gut lining over time. What that then does is signal inflammation & damage in the lining and also contributes to poor digestion and what some now call "leaky gut" -a process that allows undigested micro organisms & edibles to enter the bloodstream. This can cause autoimmune reactions. Celiac disease, gluten intolerance,etc have all been associated already w/autoimmune diseases that were considered unrelated to the gut by the medical establishment in the past. There are notable connections w/the longterm problem of spectrum (Autism, Aspergers, ADHD, etc) disorders being influenced by gut disturbance, as well. A leading autoimmune scientist I once spoke with said they often treat autoimmune w/similar RX's as cancer-and that they studied cancer & autoimmune together. Also- a high percentage of serotonin is found in the gut lining & when the GI is disturbed it is affected & felt elsewhere, often manifesting as brain fog, headaches, mental disturbances,etc. OTC & RX treatments for GI, esp. GERD can worsen the problem by countering acidic breakdown of foods and allowing further growth of the overgrown bacterias/fungi. Fatty liver disease (fats are used also as a "flavoring draw" in foods) also contributes to bile dysfunction, creating further digestion issues. We are fed a boatload of garbage that the FDA approves as edible, and then RXs are approved by that very same FDA to treat the maladies that these un-digestables create. Breakingtheviciouscycle(dot)info has great info.8-3 http://news.yahoo.com/study-links-common-food-additives-crohns-disease-colitis-191811524--sector.html