The Role of Food Additives in Leaky Gut and Autoimmune Disease
According to reviews by researchers, leaky gut caused by food additives ‘explains the rising incidence of autoimmune disorders.
This is a very strong statement.
You already know from previous articles that emulsifiers cause IBD and metabolic syndrome, and that little is put in place to monitor the use of chemicals in our food.
Researchers in Israel and Germany focused on the ability of food additives such as glucose, salt, emulsifiers, organic solvents, gluten, microbial transglutaminase and nanoparticles to increase intestinal permeability.[1]
It’s no coincidence they suggest that the incidence of autoimmune disorders is increasing along with the expansion of industrial food processing and food additive consumption.
The researchers explain that the intestinal wall, with its intercellular tight junction, controls the equilibrium between tolerance and immunity to non-self antigens (toxins or other foreign substances which induce an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies). In other words, they explain that leaky gut syndrome is triggered by commonly used industrial food additives.
The Mechanisms involved
Food additives increase intestinal permeability by breaching the integrity of tight junctions. this is what the researchers from the Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition unit at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and the Aesku Kipp institute have to say:
“Tight junction dysfunction is common in multiple autoimmune diseases and the central part played by the tight junction in autoimmune diseases pathogenesis is extensively described.”
This creates a vicious cycle. We eat irritating and pro-inflammatory foods that change the formation of the gut microbiota, which in turn inflames gut lining cells and increases intestinal permeability, allowing toxins, allergens, proteins and other antigens to cross into the bloodstream and wreak havoc.
In addition, the loss of short-chain fatty acid-producing gut bacteria also plays a central role in increasing the permeability of the gut wall.
It is no surprise that food additives have been implicated in neuroinflammation due to their effects on the microbiota, the gut epithelial barrier, and the microbiota-gut-brain axis.[2]
Leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, refers to a condition where the lining of the digestive tract becomes more porous, allowing substances to leak into the bloodstream that would normally be kept out. This process has been implicated in the development and exacerbation of autoimmune diseases.
Certain food additives, including emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners, have been studied for their potential to impact gut health.
Emulsifiers, such as carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, have been shown in animal studies to disrupt the intestinal barrier and promote inflammation, potentially contributing to leaky gut syndrome.
Preservatives like sodium metabisulphite and artificial sweeteners such as saccharin have also been investigated for their effects on gut microbiota and the mucosal barrier. Changes in the gut microbiota composition and function can influence the development and progression of autoimmune diseases.
While research in this area is ongoing, there is evidence suggesting that certain food additives may play a role in gut health and autoimmune disease. As a result, some individuals with autoimmune conditions or those seeking to support their gut health choose to limit their intake of processed foods containing these additives.
“ It is hypothesized that commonly used industrial food additives abrogate human epithelial barrier function, thus, increasing intestinal permeability through the opened tight junction, resulting in entry of foreign immunogenic antigens and activation of the autoimmune cascade.”
It is also suspected that it is the combination of the many additives found in ultra-processed foods, the dosage and chronic intake, which are the most contributing factors. For example, the salt content in processed foods can be a hundred times higher than in homemade meals. Added salt not only increases intestinal permeability but also increases inflammation often associated with autoimmune diseases.
Individuals with food allergies, intolerances and hypersensitivities, may be more predisposed to increased intestinal permeability, gut dysbiosis, and autoimmune disorders in the long run. Individuals with IBD or a genetic predisposition to the disorder may also be at a greater risk.
Autoimmune diseases
Autoimmune diseases are on the rise globally, exhibiting a consistent increase, particularly in Western cultures. Currently affecting 25-50 million Americans, these conditions surpass the prevalence of cancer and heart disease. Examples include multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease, lupus, primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune thyroiditis, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease.
The standard medical approach involves immune-suppressing drugs, which may alleviate symptoms but pose long-term risks such as increased susceptibility to infections and cancers.
The gut, with its protective layer of cells known as the gut epithelium, plays a vital role in preventing harmful substances from entering the bloodstream. When this protective layer is compromised, a phenomenon known as "Leaky Gut" occurs, contributing to autoimmune diseases.
Various factors, including excessive carbohydrates, sugar, stress, alcohol, and antibiotic use, can influence gut integrity, but specific food additives, supported by research, have been identified as contributors to increased intestinal permeability and autoimmune conditions, such as:
Sugar consistently tops my list of foods to avoid, a sentiment mirrored in various research studies. Sugar acts as a fuel in inflammatory responses, cancerous growth, and candida overgrowth, and plays a key role in the proliferation of pathogenic gut bacteria. Studies also indicate that sugar compromises the integrity of the intestinal barrier, resulting in leaky gut syndrome.
Salt. Dietary considerations merit attention, particularly with respect to sodium intake. Cereals and baked goods stand out as the predominant sources of sodium in the diets of individuals in the U.S. and the UK. It is imperative to differentiate between added salt in processed foods and the naturally occurring sea salt you use at home in your cooking. The introduction of excess ultra-refined salt in processed foods has been associated not only with heightened intestinal permeability but also with an augmentation of inflammatory responses, frequently implicated in autoimmune pathologies.
Emulsifiers and surfactants are extensively employed by the food industry, including bakery, confectionary, dairy, fat and oil, sauces, butter and margarine, ice cream, cream liqueurs, meat, coffee, gum, beverages, and chocolate. A multitude of synthetic surfactant food additives have demonstrated the capacity to augment intestinal permeability through paracellular and/or transcellular mechanisms. Commonly encountered on product labels, these additives may include lecithins, with soy lecithin ubiquitously present in a wide array of products, and polysorbates, such as polysorbate-80, which is also utilised as an ingredient in certain vaccine formulations.
Organic solvents pose significant risks to health, with many of them carrying explicit poison warnings on their labels. Examples of these solvents, frequently utilised in industrial settings, encompass benzene, xylene, toluene, turpentine, acetone, methyl/ethyl acetates, hexane, ethanol, and various detergents. It is noteworthy that certain nutrients, such as glutamine and polyphenols, play a protective role in maintaining the integrity of tight junctions. In stark contrast, a number of organic solvents commonly employed in the food and beverage industries, including alcohol and its metabolites, exhibit deleterious effects on tight junctions. Of particular concern is the impact of alcohol, not only from direct consumption but also from the presence of added alcohol and other solvents in various products.
Gluten, the subject of extensive research, demonstrates notable effects on the integrity of the gastrointestinal mucosa, particularly concerning its implications in Celiac disease. The principal antigen within gluten, Gliadin, has been observed to inhibit cell growth, cause cytotoxicity (cell toxicity), alter cellular metabolism, and contribute to the degradation of the gastrointestinal epithelial lining. Many vegan or plant-based foods are now made exclusively of gluten (e.g., seitan).
Microbial transglutaminase (mTG), also known as meat glue, finds various applications within the food industry, serving multiple purposes such as enhancing meat texture (or combining low-quality cuts into the appearance of steaks, like ribeye steaks for example — that would be the white you may confuse for natural fat), appearance, hardness, and shelf life, augmenting the firmness of fish products, refining the quality and texture of dairy items, reducing caloric content, improving the texture and elasticity of confectioneries, contributing to the stability and appearance of protein films, and enhancing the texture and volume in the bakery sector. It is also used as a binding agent and texturiser in plant-based or fake meat products.
Artificial sweeteners. Some studies have suggested that artificial sweeteners may influence the gut microbiota, potentially leading to changes in gut permeability. They may also participate in imbalances in blood sugar and thus may also participate in inflammation via the stress response.
Preservatives, such as sodium metabisulfite, have been studied for their potential effects on gut health. Some evidence suggests that they may influence the gut microbiota and contribute to gut barrier dysfunction.
Some food colourings and flavourings have been investigated for their impact on gut health. Research has indicated that some artificial additives may influence the gut microbiota and contribute to inflammation.
Certain food additives, including sugar, salt, and gluten, as well as less familiar ones, play a role in influencing gut health and overall health, including liver and brain health. Therefore, the broad reach of food additives can affect any tissue in the body with the potential to trigger autoimmune disease.
It may be important to note that in instances where consumer concerns about a specific ingredient become apparent, food manufacturers may opt to modify the ingredient name. It may explain why some food additives have over a dozen different names.
It is, therefore, vital to familiarise yourself with additive names and E numbers so that you know what to avoid.
It is also without any surprise that nutrient-dense diets like a Mediterranean Diet, have been studied for their protective effect against autoimmune diseases.[3,4,14]
How to spot ultra-processed manufactured food products
A practical way to identify an ultra-processed product is to check to see if its list of ingredients contains at least one item characteristic of the NOVA ultra-processed food group, which is to say, either food substances never or rarely used in kitchens (such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or interesterified oils, and hydrolysed proteins), or classes of additives designed to make the final product palatable or more appealing (such as flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, emulsifying salts, sweeteners, thickeners, and anti-foaming, bulking, carbonating, foaming, gelling and glazing agents).[5]
A study looked to assess household availability of NOVA food groups in nineteen European countries and to analyse the association between the availability of ultra-processed foods and the prevalence of obesity. Estimates of ultra-processed foods were calculated from national household budget surveys conducted between 1991 and 2008. Estimates of obesity prevalence were obtained from national surveys undertaken near the budget survey time.[6]
The NOVA classification assigns a group to food products based on how much processing they have been through:
Unprocessed and minimally processed foods;
Processed culinary ingredients;
Processed foods; and.
Ultra-processed foods
Across the nineteen countries, the average household availability amounted to 33·9 % of total purchased dietary energy for unprocessed or minimally processed foods, 20·3 % for processed culinary ingredients, 19·6 % for processed foods and 26·4 % for ultra-processed foods.
However, when isolating some countries it is clear that there is a huge gap between some countries and others. For example, the average household availability of ultra-processed foods ranged from 10% in Portugal and 13% in Italy to 46% in Germany and 50% in the UK.
Further to this, the researchers noted that there was a direct link between ultra-processed food products and obesity. Metabolic disorder, with insulin resistance at its core, plays a pivotal role in disease, particularly autoimmune disease, by driving inflammation.
The effect is even more pronounced in smokers, inactive individuals, and those of lower socioeconomic status, once again demonstrating that the increased availability of ultra-processed products is targeting people who cannot afford to eat healthy meals.
The NOVA system of food classification based on the nature, extent and purpose of food processing.
A singular feature of NOVA is its identification of ultra-processed food and drink products. These are not modified foods, but formulations mostly of cheap industrial sources of dietary energy and nutrients plus additives, using a series of processes (hence ‘ultra-processed’). Altogether, they are energy-dense, high in unhealthy types of fat, refined starches, free sugars and salt, and poor sources of protein, dietary fibre and micronutrients.
Ultra-processed products are made to be hyper-palatable and attractive, with long shelf-life, and able to be consumed anywhere, any time. Their formulation, presentation and marketing often promote overconsumption.
Studies based on NOVA show that ultra-processed products now dominate the food supplies of various high-income countries and are increasingly pervasive in lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries. The evidence so far shows that displacement of minimally processed foods and freshly prepared dishes and meals by ultra-processed products is associated with unhealthy dietary nutrient profiles and several diet-related non-communicable diseases. Ultra-processed products are also troublesome from social, cultural, economic, political and environmental points of view. We conclude that the ever-increasing production and consumption of these products is a world crisis,[7]
Additional studies reported relationships between ultra-processed food intake and higher fasting glucose, metabolic syndrome, increases in total and LDL cholesterol, and risk of hypertension. It remains unclear whether associations can be attributed to processing itself or the nutrient content of ultra-processed foods.[8]
Studies conducted in many countries such as the United States, Australia and Sweden obtained the same conclusion.[9-11]
Recent data revealed that the average American consumes the equivalent of their body weight in sugar every year. However, considering the growing population minimising their sugar intake, many Americans may consume twice as much if not more…[12]
“Ultra-processed foods comprised 57.9% of energy intake, and contributed 89.7% of the energy intake from added sugars. The content of added sugars in ultra-processed foods was eightfold higher than in processed foods and fivefold higher than in unprocessed or minimally processed foods and processed culinary ingredients grouped together.”
“During the study period consumption of group 1 foods (minimal processing) decreased by 2 %, while consumption of group 2 foods (processed ingredients) decreased by 34 %. Consumption of group 3·1 foods (processed food products) increased by 116 % and group 3·2 foods (ultra-processed products) increased by 142 %. Among ultra-processed products, there were particularly large increases in soda (315 %; 22 v. 92 litres/capita per annum) and snack foods such as crisps and candies (367 %; 7 v. 34 kg/capita per annum). In parallel to these changes in ultra-processed products, rates of adult obesity increased from 5 % in 1980 to over 11 % in 2010.”
So should ultra-processed food products come with a health warning and be removed from the market if found to contain health-damaging substances, and manufacturers be held accountable for the ingredients they create and use, and should the world agencies be also held accountable for their leniency and lack of control over the food industry, the pharma industry and the telecom industry?
Considering the link between sugar, ultra-processed products, additives, and immune hyperactivity, and autoimmune diseases, like RA[13] or MS[15], chronic kidney disease[16], and a higher risk of infections[17], it may be important to change our habits for a better quality of life and less pain (and addiction to painkillers).
“The current epidemiologic panorama reveals the importance of and close relationship between nutrition and the immune system. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress related to a diet high in simple sugars are the trigger for a chronic prooxidative state, which is related to reconfiguration of immune cells, lower immunologic tolerance, and higher risk of infections.[17]”
Here you have it: the link between COVID (and seasonal flu) and unfavourable outcomes, and why individuals with comorbidities (and polypharmacy) paid the higher price.
Isn’t it time we rethink the way we eat and what our priorities are in life:
Convenience or our health?
What do you think? How is this relevant to your current situation?
References:
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