Xanthan gum, a common food additive used in ice cream, sauces and salads, can cause gut inflammation at any dose, according to researchers in Brazil. The stabilizer has been added to hundreds of processed foods since the 1960s to thicken fluids and stop ingredients from separating.
While it is common in many products, mounting research suggests xanthan gum may be linked to lasting health harms. The additive is also used in wallpaper and oil drilling.
A new study published in the journal PLOS One found that rats fed xanthan gum developed inflammation in their gut tissue. The researchers also detected more immune system cells in the gut, which suggests the body registered the diet as a threat.
The researchers split rodents into four groups and fed them diets with varying levels of the additive for 10 weeks. One group received no xanthan gum, while another received a dose comparable to someone on a typical gluten-free diet. The remaining groups received higher doses.
The amounts in the diets were calculated using a Food and Drug Administration formula that converts human exposure into an equivalent dose. After analyzing the gut tissue for complications, researchers found higher inflammation and immune cell levels in all rats that consumed the gum.
In rats fed the highest dose, the population of Elusimicrobiota surged. This normally rare gut bacteria is also found in soil, though it is not clear whether the increased bacteria would negatively impact the gut.
Colon cancer risk
Gut inflammation is consistently linked to numerous health disorders, including a higher risk of irritable bowel syndrome and colon cancer. Inflammation can cause cell mutations that make cancer more likely to occur.
Diagnoses of colon cancer in young people are continuing to rise. The condition is now the leading cause of cancer deaths among people under 50.
Experts partly blame the increase on ultra-processed foods containing additives like xanthan gum, which make up about 70 percent of the US food supply. Xanthan gum is often used as a thickening agent in gluten-free products for people avoiding a gut sensitivity. About a quarter of Americans say they want to eat less gluten.
Barrier damage
Because the study was not carried out in humans, it remains unclear whether xanthan gum has the same effect when consumed by people. It is not clear why the rodents had the inflammation, but the researchers suggested the additive irritated the gut lining. If the gut barrier is damaged, it raises the risk of microbes and pathogens entering the tissue or blood, potentially triggering an infection.
"In conclusion, dietary xanthan gum induced moderate-grade inflammation and modified the colon gut barrier," wrote the researchers, led by Dr Alessandra B Silva Rischiteli at the Federal University of Sao Paulo. "Recent advances in the study of xanthan gum underscore the need for translational research bridging experimental findings and clinical practice."
Previous infant warnings
The researchers said their work confirmed previous suggestions that xanthan gum caused necrotizing enterocolitis in newborns. The life-threatening condition occurs in premature infants when intestinal tissue starts to die.
In 2011, some researchers linked xanthan gum to necrotizing enterocolitis. That same year, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against SimplyThick, a xanthan gum-based thickener for formula and breast milk.
The warning followed 15 cases of the condition in infants, which included two deaths. In all those cases, the FDA says SimplyThick gel was added to the milk of babies who had trouble swallowing because of complications from their premature birth.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has railed against additives being added to modern products, including food dyes. He has not yet commented on xanthan gum.
