Ubiquitous food additive alters human microbiota and intestinal environment:
Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is a synthetic member of a widely used class of food additives, termed emulsifiers, which are added to many processed foods to enhance texture and promote shelf life. CMC has not been extensively tested in humans but has been increasingly used in processed foods since the 1960s. It had long been assumed that CMC was safe to ingest because it is eliminated in the feces without being absorbed. However, increasing appreciation of the health benefits provided by bacteria that normally live in the colon, and thus would interact with non-absorbed additives, has led scientists to challenge this assumption. Experiments in mice found that CMC, and some other emulsifiers, altered gut bacteria resulting in more severe disease in a range of chronic inflammatory conditions, including colitis, metabolic syndrome and colon cancer. However, the extent to which such results are applicable to humans had not been previously investigated.
The team performed a randomized controlled-feeding study in healthy volunteers. Participants, housed at the study site, consumed an additive-free diet or an identical diet supplemented with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Because the diseases CMC promotes in mice take years to arise in humans, the researchers focused here on intestinal bacteria and metabolites. They found that CMC consumption changed the make-up of bacteria populating the colon, reducing select species. Furthermore, fecal samples from CMC-treated participants displayed a stark depletion of beneficial metabolites that are thought to normally maintain a healthy colon.
Lastly, the researchers performed colonoscopies on subjects at the beginning and end of the study and noticed that a subset of subjects consuming CMC displayed gut bacteria encroaching into the mucus, which has previously been observed to be a feature of inflammatory bowel diseases and type 2 diabetes. Thus, while CMC consumption did not result in any disease per se in this two week study, collectively the results support the conclusions of animal studies that long-term consumption of this additive might promote chronic inflammatory diseases. Therefore, further studies of this additive are warranted.
Journal Reference:
Benoit Chassaing, et. al. Randomized controlled-feeding study of dietary emulsifier carboxymethylcellulose reveals detrimental impacts on the gut microbiota and metabolome. Gastroenterology, 2021;
(DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2021.11.006)
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Thursday December 02 2021, @03:08PM (2 children)
The manure compost heating is interesting. I read of something similar in a very old book on managing a Victorian estate farm but could never picture it. Very clever.
On the topic, is there a way to neutralize whatever component of pineapple juice that causes mouth sores? I enjoy the flavor but eating it hurts more than Captain Crunch.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by istartedi on Thursday December 02 2021, @11:31PM (1 child)
Most likely that's due to bromelain! I guess some people are more sensitive than others. Of course this leads to the question of whether or not it would still taste the same in other ways, but this site [sciencemeetsfood.org] has some suggestions. If you're willing to eat them as something other than raw fruit, it seems like you might find something you like that doesn't sting.
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(Score: 3, Informative) by hendrikboom on Thursday December 02 2021, @11:41PM
Pineapples also contain a chemical that interacts with the drug atorvastatin resulting in a loss of muscle mass.