When you eat processed foods, you’re not only being exposed to unhealthy ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and synthetic fats but also the additives used to create a uniform, shelf-stable product. Emulsifiers, including carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate 80 (P80), are among them, and research suggests they could be leading to inflammation, anxiety and depression in those who consume them.
If you’ve ever made salad dressing or mayonnaise at home, you’re probably aware that the ingredients naturally separate, as oil and water don’t mix. Yet, salad dressings and mayonnaise that’s store-bought stays mixed. This is due to emulsifiers, which blend otherwise unblendable ingredients while also reducing stickiness, controlling crystallization and preventing separation.1
Their benefit to the food industry is obvious, but once in your body they could be wreaking havoc on the microbes in your intestines, leading to metabolic problems and even affecting your brain.
Previous research has shown that adding the food emulsifiers CMC and P80 to the diet leads to low-grade inflammation, obesity and metabolic abnormalities in mice, while disturbing gut microbiota.