Download 2017-01-09 Carcinogenic food additives

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Carcinogenic food additives
Translated from Le Journal de Montréal, January 09, 2017
A recent study suggests that two additives which are
commonly used by the food industry, polysorbate 80 and
carboxymethylcellulose, favour the development of
colorectal cancer. Another good reason to cook meals for
oneself in order to better control the contents of one’s
plate.
Aside from often containing astronomical levels of sugar, fats and
salt, many industrially processed foods also contain emulsifiers
such as polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose. These
synthetic molecules are particularly appreciated in industrial
production because they possess the property of linking fat and
water (like a detergent), which allows the creation of a smooth and
homogeneous texture in processed foods.
Recent studies indicate, however, that the ability of these
emulsifiers to dissolve fats could also perturb certain protective
barriers whose function requires that they remain insoluble in
water. The layer of mucus which covers the surface of the
intestine, for example, should remain intact to avoid allowing the
hundreds of billions of intestinal bacteria from making contact with
the circulating blood.
One recent study showed that this barrier can be affected by the
presence of emulsifiers, because addition of weak quantities of
polysorbate 80 or carboxymethylcellulose to the diet caused
inflammation of the intestine, a consequence of bacterial
infiltration across the mucus barrier1. These dietary additives do
not seem to be as innocuous as had been thought, which is quite
disquieting when considering their very large quantities in
industrially processed foods.
INFLAMMATION AND CANCER
The dangers associated with the pro-inflammatory effect of these
emulsifiers are real, since inflammation represents an important
risk factor in several types of cancers, including colorectal cancer
(it is estimated that up to 15% of all cancers are caused by
sustained inflammatory conditions).
It is thus possible that the chronic inflammation caused by regular
ingestion of dietary emulsifiers could contribute to the very strong
incidence of colorectal cancer observed in Western populations
where up to 70% of the calories come from eating industrially
processed food.
This contribution by emulsifiers to the development of colorectal
cancer is supported by a series of observations recently published
in the renowned journal Cancer Research2.
By using a preclinical model of colorectal cancer induced by
inflammation, the researchers showed that regular consumption of
carboxymethylcellulose or polysorbate 80 drastically accelerated
the development of this cancer. This pro-cancerous effect was
associated with a major perturbation in the composition of the
bacterial community living in the intestine (the microbiome),
which resulted in the activation of several cellular processes which
favoured the growth of cancerous cells.
This effect of emulsifiers on the intestinal flora seems to be
particularly devastating because the simple act of transferring the
microbial contents of the intestines, from animals exposed to
emulsifiers into animals which were not exposed, was sufficient to
recreate the activation of these pro-cancerous processes. In
summary, these observations indicate that the regular consumption
of emulsifiers provokes derangement of the composition of the
intestinal microbiome, which creates a pro-inflammatory
environment that favours the progression of cancerous cells.
EAT FIBRE
It goes without saying that the best way to guard against the
negative effects of emulsifiers is to reduce consumption of
industrially transformed foods to a minimum in favour of “real”
foods, particularly those derived from plants.
Not only do plants contain vitamins, minerals and different
protective phytochemical compounds, but they are also an
indispensable source of dietary fibre for maintaining the
microbiome at equilibrium. One study recently showed that a lack
of fibre is associated with disappearance of the layer of mucus
protecting the intestinal mucosa, which then makes the colon
particularly vulnerable to microorganisms and stimulates
inflammation3.
Increasing the intake of foods rich in fibre such as fruits,
vegetables, beans and whole grains, while also eliminating
(wherever possible) synthetic additives such as emulsifiers, is thus
indispensable for the prevention of colorectal cancer.
(1)
Chassaing B et al. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse
gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic
syndrome. Nature 2015;519:92-96.
(2)
Viennois E et al. Dietary emulsifier-induced low-grade
inflammation promotes colon carcinogenesis. Cancer
Res. 2017;77(1):27-40.
(3)
Desai MS et al. A dietary fiber-deprived gut microbiota
degrades the colonic mucus barrier and enhances
pathogen susceptibility. Cell 2016;167:1339-1353.
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You find the content of this column useful? Make a donation at www.richardbeliveau.org to speed up our research
You find the content of this column useful? Make a donation at www.richardbeliveau.org to speed up our research
Richard Béliveau