The plot thickens — as colon cancer rates continue to rise in 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,” Dr. Maria Abreu, a professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at the University of Miami, told Miami news station WSVN last week.
“Even the foods we think are good for us can be a problem,” Abreu continued. “Things like emulsifiers that are added in, things that are creamy, you know, the nonfat yogurts and all these things, really can change the gut microbiome very profoundly.”
Past research has linked the dietary emulsifiers carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polysorbate 80 to colon cancer in mice. These additives are said to alter intestinal 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, as well as 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 — an estimated 1 in 24 Americans will be diagnosed with it at some point, according to the Colon Cancer Coalition.
The obesity-related disease is expected to cause about 53,000 US deaths 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 chemicals and bacteria in processed food are causing a gut enzyme to flare up, leading to inflammation and perhaps, cancer.
“Something in the microbiome has changed, and it’s setting in motion this chronic inflammation in the [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 diseases.
Abreu and her team are trying to develop testing to reveal intestinal inflammation.
“It will tell us this person has a leaky gut, their microbiome is abnormal. We need to try to address that,” she explained.
In the meantime, she recommends following a healthy diet and ditching processed foods.
“I tell my own patients that anything that comes in a bag with an expiration date next year is not food,” Abreu said.
