Experiments in mice found that CMC, and some other emulsifiers, altered gut bacteria resulting in more severe disease in a range of chronic inflammatory conditions, including colitis, metabolic syndrome and colon cancer. However, the extent to which such results are applicable to humans had not been previously investigated. The team performed a randomized controlled-feeding study in healthy volunteers. Participants, housed at the study site, consumed an additive-free diet or an identical diet supplemented with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). Because the diseases CMC promotes in mice take years to arise in humans, the researchers focused here on intestinal bacteria and metabolites. They found that CMC consumption changed the make-up of bacteria populating the colon, reducing select species. Furthermore, fecal samples from CMC-treated participants displayed a stark depletion of beneficial metabolites that are thought to normally maintain a healthy colon.
Georgia State University. “Ubiquitous food additive alters human microbiota and intestinal environment.” ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211130130223.htm (accessed December 5, 2021).
For additional research start here https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/carboxymethylcellulose
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