The plot thickens — as colon cancer rates continue to rise among young adults, a Florida gastroenterologist is pointing the finger at emulsifiers in processed foods.
“Ultra-processed foods create a lot of noise in the microbial system,” said Dr. Maria Abreu, a professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at the University of Miami, told news station WSVN in Miami last week.
“Even foods we think are good for us can be a problem,” Abreu continued. “Things like emulsifiers that are added, things that are creamy, you know, fat-free yogurts and all these things, can really change the gut microbiome very profoundly.”
Past research has linked the dietary emulsifiers carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate 80 to colon cancer in rats. These additives are said to alter gut bacteria and promote gut inflammation.
CMC serves as a food thickener and stabilizer—it can be found in ice cream (to slow melting), cakes, cookies, candies, juices, dairy and meat products, frozen foods and instant pasta, and other items.
Polysorbate 80 is used in bread, cake mix, salad dressing, shortening oil and chocolate. Soaps, cosmetics and eye drops may also contain it.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide – according to the Colon Cancer Coalition, about 1 in 24 Americans will be diagnosed with it at some point.
Obesity-related disease is expected to cause about 53,000 deaths in the US this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Our gut microbiome – the collection of bacteria, viruses and fungi in our digestive system – is believed to play a key role in the development and progression of colorectal cancer.
Abreu suspects that chemicals and bacteria in processed food are triggering a gut enzyme, leading to inflammation and possibly cancer.
“Something in the microbiome has changed and is setting this chronic inflammation in motion [gastrointestinal] tract,” she told WSVN.
Chronic inflammation is when your immune system is activated long after an injury or threat of illness has passed. The condition has been linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer, among other ailments.
Abreu and her team are trying to develop tests to detect intestinal inflammation.
“It will tell us that this person has a leaky gut, their microbiome is abnormal. We have to try to address that,” she explained.
In the meantime, she recommends following a healthy diet and giving up processed foods.
“I tell my patients that anything that comes in a bag with an expiration date next year is not food,” Abreu said.
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