ArticleMicrobiome2021
Direct impact of commonly used dietary emulsifiers on human gut microbiota.
Article in Microbiome, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 145 papers.
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Who cites it
145 citing papers in PubMed, 257 citations in OpenAlex.
- Oral sodium hyaluronate improves skin hydration, barrier function and signs of aging: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 150 healthy adults.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Metabolic plasticity of the gut microbiome in response to diets differing in glycemic load in a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Host-diet-gut microbiome interactions influence human energy balance: a randomized clinical trial.Nature communications · 2023Trial
- Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome.Gastroenterology · 2022Trial
- Article
- Miniature bioreactor arrays for modeling functional and structural dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease.Gut microbes · 2026Article
- Common Food Emulsifiers Impair Epithelial Barrier Integrity and Trigger Pro-Inflammatory Responses and IgE Production.Allergy · 2026Article
- Drug-microbiome-host interactions: antimicrobial effects of non-antibiotic compounds.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
- Diet, Ultra-Processed Foods, and Food Additives in Crohn's Disease: A Comprehensive Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Article
- Review
- Early-Life Cumulative Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods and Subcortical Brain Volume at Age Six Years: A Prospective Cohort Study.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Article
- The Gut-brain-adipose Axis in Ultra-processed Food and Obesity: A Mechanistic Synthesis and Its Implications for Food Classification.Current obesity reports · 2026Review
- Effect of Pea Protein and Arabinoxylans Mixtures as Emulsifiers on Vitamin E Absorption in Mice.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Article
- Metabolism of β-mannans by representative, understudied Bacillota species from the human colon.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2026Article
- Diet, Gut Microbiome, and Microbial Metabolites in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: From Functional Dysbiosis to Precision Nutrition.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Diet, ultra-processed foods, and gut dysbiosis: linking emulsifiers to colorectal cancer risk.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2026Review
- Diet-microbiome associations in 10,068 individuals from the Human Phenotype Project to guide personalized nutrition.Nature medicine · 2026Article
- Gut Microbiota Modulation by Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Carrageenan: Current Evidence and Health Implications.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
85 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEpidemiologic evidence and animal studies implicate dietary emulsifiers in contributing to the increased prevalence of diseases associated with intestinal inflammation, including inflammatory bowel diseases and metabolic syndrome. Two synthetic emulsifiers in particular, carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80, profoundly impact intestinal microbiota in a manner that promotes gut inflammation and associated disease states. In contrast, the extent to which other food additives with emulsifying properties might impact intestinal microbiota composition and function is not yet known.
methodsTo help fill this knowledge gap, we examined here the extent to which a human microbiota, maintained ex vivo in the MiniBioReactor Array model, was impacted by 20 different commonly used dietary emulsifiers. Microbiota density, composition, gene expression, and pro-inflammatory potential (bioactive lipopolysaccharide and flagellin) were measured daily.
resultsIn accordance with previous studies, both carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate 80 induced a lasting seemingly detrimental impact on microbiota composition and function. While many of the other 18 additives tested had impacts of similar extent, some, such as lecithin, did not significantly impact microbiota in this model. Particularly stark detrimental impacts were observed in response to various carrageenans and gums, which altered microbiota density, composition, and expression of pro-inflammatory molecules.
conclusionsThese results indicate that numerous, but not all, commonly used emulsifiers can directly alter gut microbiota in a manner expected to promote intestinal inflammation. Moreover, these data suggest that clinical trials are needed to reduce the usage of the most detrimental compounds in favor of the use of emulsifying agents with no or low impact on the microbiota. Video abstract.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.