There are certain ingredients many of you could identify as
unhealthy. Artificial sweeteners, trans fats, BPAs and GMOs are likely on your
radar. However, a study in Nature raised health and weight concerns
for a group of ingredients you may not even know about. Do emulsifiers ring a
bell? I’ll be totally honest, I had to think back to Food Science classes…mayo is
an emulsification. Without nerding out emulsifications are mixtures where one
substance is suspended in another.
In mayo, the egg emulsify or combine things.
But egg yolks are natural emulsifiers, this recent study
(and a couple prior) honed in on chemical emulsifiers. These additives are used
in many products for texture and to extend shelf life.
I talk a lot about probiotics; kombucha, kefir, miso and
apple cider vinegar are Foodtrainers’ staples.
Having more good bacteria can improve our mood, immunity and weight. But
what if something prevalent in healthy food is harming gut bacteria? Yup,
that’s what these chemical emulsifiers do and the net effect they have on out gut
results in impaired satiety signals. When you are less satisfied you eat more.
We do not need any assistance in the “eat more” department.
So what are these emulsifiers called? There are a ton of chemical
emulsifiers- many have the word “gum” in the name. The two emulsifiers tested in this study were
polysorbate 80 and
carboxymethylcellulose. You will sometimes see polysorbate 80 called “tween 80”
and the other one is abbreviated CMC or listed as cellulose gum.
Look for “tween” in ice cream, puddings, vitamins, chewing
gum and condiments
Cellulose gum in used in
lowfat cookies, and jelly. What’s really sneaky is cellulose is listed
as a fiber but this is not a good fiber.
In the study, these emulsifiers were given to rats with a
compromised GI system and previously healthy rats. The rats with preexisting GI
issues developed full blown colits and the “normal” rats gained weight. Some
studies test amounts that far exceed what is typically consumed…not this time.
These effects were seen with commonly consumed quantities. I’d like to take a
moment to say…FDA seriously? You’ve deemed these safe? Let’s reexamine your
testing methods.
In all fairness, only two emulsifiers (or gums) were tested.
It is unclear if all emulsifiers have the same issues associated with them. The
only emulsifier on my radar, prior to reading this, was carrageenan. Carrageenan
has received a ton of bad PR. It has has been a concern as it has GI side
effects (upsets your stomach) and because it’s a possible carcinogen. Perhaps
the GI side effects occur because carrageenan acts like Tween and Cellulose gum
messing with our good bacteria?
A lot of the coverage of this study talked about the
prevalence of chemical emulsifiers in processed foods. If you aren’t big on
processed foods don’t be relieved as these thickeners are also used in dairy
free and gluten free foods. And we all blame sugar for increasing obesity rates
following the fat free phase/ 90s…however, chemical emulsifiers are found in
most “fat free” foods too. I examined the labels in our fridge and found two
items with gums in them. Our gluten free bread had xanthan gum and organic
cream cheese had “organic” locust bean gum. I reached out to the bread company
and the owner told me she wasn’t concerned as the bread was one of the only
sources of gums in her diet. I’m not sure I agree and urged her to look at the
study.
What should you do? Look at the ingredients on packages in
your pantry and fridge. If you see cellulose gum OR tween 80…I’d certainly toss
those. I’d also encourage you to contact companies using these ingredients.
Carageenan has been pulled from many products as a result of customer concern.
Further studies need to test other gums so that we can assess their safety. One more vote against ingredients we cannot pronounce.
Have emulsifiers been
on your radar? Any products you consume that have gums in them? Will you avoid
them going forward?
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