In a recent study, researchers discovered that mice with immune systems conditioned to recognise the microbial protein flagellin did not suffer the typical negative effects of ingesting emulsifiers, which are food additives. The outcome suggests a viable strategy for treating a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases.
Dietary emulsifiers are additives added to processed foods to keep combined ingredients from separating. Based on earlier research, the researchers theorised that some emulsifiers may alter the gut microbiota, allowing some microorganisms to more easily penetrate the gut's protective mucosal layer and potentially cause chronic intestinal inflammation.
They hypothesised that training the gut's immune system to target flagellin may help protect against the detrimental downstream consequences of dietary emulsifier consumption. To test this idea, they immunised mice to flagellin for several weeks and then fed them food containing two common dietary emulsifiers, carboxymethylcellulose (E466) and polysorbate 80 (E433).
They observed that the immunised mice did not experience an invasion of microbes into their mucosal lining after ingesting emulsifiers. They also noted that after eating food with emulsifiers, the flagellin-immunised mice still experienced changes in the proportions of various microbe species that comprise their gut microbiomes.
