Ep 135. Emulsifiers: What Are They and Are They Healthy?

My Wife The Dietitian

Xanthum gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and locust bean gum, are all futuristic sounding terms but they're actually ingredients that most of us consume every day. Our grandparents didn't eat these ingredients, as they are mostly developed by the food industry to help with food texture, creaminess and consistency. Emulsifiers, binders, gels and thickening agents are all items that are added to processed foods to help with consumer appeal. But, are these harmful?

Today, we take a listener question, "What are emulsifiers and are they harmful?"

Tune in to hear all about how to reduce your consumption of these additives and possibly help to reduce gut and digestion issues due to these added emulsifier agents.

You can also refer to one of our earlier episodes for more information - Ep 24. Ultra Processed Foods - 5 Ways to Reduce Your Intake - https://youtu.be/pDRQbIE0fS4

Research citations / studies looking at emulsifiers and health:

IBD study Bacterial Overgrowth and Inflammation of Small Intestine After Carboxymethylcellulose Ingestion in Genetically Susceptible Mice | Inflammatory Bowel Diseases | Oxford Academic (oup.com) Gut microbiome and emulsifiers study Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome | Nature

CMC and gut Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome | Nature

Carrageenan and UC A randomized trial of the effects of the no-carrageenan diet on ulcerative colitis disease activity - PMC (nih.gov)

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