1, Effects in animal experiments
In cell culture and animal experiments, it has been found that consuming emulsifiers can damage the gut microbiota and increase intestinal permeability (commonly referred to as "intestinal leakage"). A leaky intestinal tract will allow bacteria to pass through the intestinal wall and enter the blood. The body will make an inflammatory reaction to defeat the invading bacteria. This inflammatory reaction will destroy the body's ability to process glucose, which may be a small factor leading to diabetes and obesity. However, this is only a finding in mouse and cell models and cannot be directly equated with its impact on humans.
2, The impact in human research
(1) The influence of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)
The impact on the composition of gut microbiota
In a double-blind controlled diet study targeting healthy adults, only the emulsifier free diet (n=9) or the same diet supplemented with 15g CMC per day (n=7) was consumed for 11 consecutive days. Compared with control subjects, consuming CMC moderately increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and disrupted gut microbiota composition, reducing its diversity.
Two subjects with CMC diet were identified, who showed an increase in microbial invasion into the usually sterile inner mucus layer (a major feature of intestinal inflammation) and significant changes in microbial composition.
The impact on fecal metabolome
Subjects with dietary CMC showed changes in the fecal metabolome, particularly a decrease in short chain fatty acids and free amino acids.
3, The influence of lecithin
Phosphatidylcholine is one of the most commonly used emulsifiers, and current research on humans suggests that it may lower blood cholesterol, lower diastolic blood pressure, and increase the availability of bioactive compounds. But there is no clear negative conclusion about its impact on the gut microbiota like CMC, and health food stores even sell it as a dietary supplement. However, there is currently not much research on the potential harmful effects of emulsifiers (including phospholipids) on the human body. The University of Aberdeen is conducting relevant studies (FDAiets) to determine the health effects of phospholipid intake, and researchers are testing low emulsifier diets and high emulsifier diets