Colorectal carcinoma is a type of cancer that affects the bowel and colon. These additives cause this type of cancer, which are present in pickles, ice cream and more foods!
A popular food additive that present in many foods, from pickles to ice cream has relation to colon cancer. This is thanks to the way it impacts the intestine.
Emulsifiers are added to more processed foods to improve food texture and extend shelf life. But they also deprive us of healthy levels of intestinal bacteria, which causes chronic low-level inflammation. This, in return, promotes colorectal cancer, according to a new study.
To be clear, the scientists analyze possible cancer-promoting effects in an animal study. The conclusion reached is that it is best to stay away from these ingredients. Additionally, there are other studies that suggest that they impact the intestine in an unhealthy way.
The finding comes hand in hand with another breakthrough on the intestine. Researchers discovered a fungus that can trigger Crohn’s disease. It is clear that the microbiome greatly influences our risk of disease. That is why intestinal health should be the centerpiece of any personal health regimen.
Let’s take a closer look at this important new study, including how to avoid this kind of harmful additives in processed foods.
Hippocrates is famous for declaring that food is medicine. However, his famous appointment came long before the creation of laboratory-made ingredients and processed foods. But, here is another example of how the ingredients we overlooked can be a disaster for our health. In the recent study of this food additive and colon cancer connection, it was found that mice that had regularly consumed food emulsifiers experienced an exacerbated development of tumors. The results appeared in the journal Cancer Research.
Colorectal carcinoma and food additive connection
For this study, the researchers focused on two of the most widely used emulsifiers called polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose. In fact, mice were fed with doses comparable to the amounts accumulated by people who eat processed foods every day.
Moreover, consuming emulsifiers drastically changes the composition of the intestinal flora species in a way that makes it more pro-inflammatory, creating a niche that favors cancer induction and its development, the researchers said. Bacterial species alterations resulted in bacteria expressing more flagellin and lipopolysaccharide, which activate the expression of pro-inflammatory genes by the immune system.
If we are eating processed foods that contain emulsifiers on a daily basis, it seems that we are inducing a low level chronic inflammation. Since inflammation is at the root of most diseases, this is an important finding. Colorectal cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. More and more research is deepening our understanding of how the balance of microorganisms in our gut can help prevent (or trigger) cancer and other diseases.
Low-level inflammation, a condition more frequent than inflammatory bowel diseases that trigger things like symptoms of Crohn’s disease, was associated with the composition of the altered intestinal microbiota and metabolic diseases. This is what is seen in many cases of colorectal carcinoma. These recent findings suggest that dietary emulsifiers may be partially responsible for this association.
Additional findings
The incidence of colorectal carcinoma has been sharply increasing since the mid-twentieth century. The presence of an altered intestinal microbiota that creates a favorable niche for tumorigenesis is main feature of this disease.
Furthermore, scientists also explain that certain molecules in the emulsifiers disrupt the intestinal flora and also eliminates the healthy cellular functioning of the intestinal epithelium, causing the intestine to function in a way that promotes colon tumors.
This is a breakthrough that even suggests that low-level intestinal inflammation can promote colon cancer.
A closer look at the food additive and colon cancer culprits
These kinds of emulsifiers in question are found in things like bakery products, frozen desserts, non-dairy creams, ice creams and even pickles. As the Center for Science in the Public Interest explains, these emulsifiers, among other things, keep the baked goods from becoming unripe, keep the dill oil dissolved in the pickle jars and prevent the oil from separating from the artificial whipping cream.
This is not the first time that carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80 are in the headlines (and not in a good way). By 2015, researchers also linked these two ingredients with unhealthy changes in the gut, including altered bacteria and inflammation. That study with mice also pointed to a link between those ingredients and obesity and the metabolic syndrome. It is possible that polysorbates and other emulsifiers act as detergents that disturb the mucous layer lining the intestine.
Final considerations on the food additive and the colon cancer study
Of course, avoid eating processed foods to avoid harmful food additives.
Avoid other harmful intestinal additives such as carrageenan.
Make the necessary steps to have a healthy bowel and help yourself get rid of some of the damage that you’re causing.
Avoid foods containing polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose. These often come in non-organic pickles, ice creams, cooking sprays and many other processed foods.
Be careful with the other emulsifiers. It is not clear whether soy lecithin also affects the intestine in a similar way.
Read more: Treat And Prevent Colon Cancer Liver And Prostate Cancer Consuming This Once A Day!
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