Additive in processed food increases inflammatory bowel risk

One additive used in processed foods is alone responsible for chronic inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers and raises blood sugar levels that can be the precursor of type 2 diabetes.

The additive, E 407 or carrageenan, can pass through the gut wall, and makes the small intestine more permeable, probably because it triggers an inflammatory response.

Researchers from the German research group, DZD, gave carrageenan to a group of 20 young healthy men who were given twice the amount typically consumed in the US and were compared to another group given a placebo.

By the end of the two-week trial, those given carrageenan showed impairment of the gut wall, and the researchers fear it would eventually lead to insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes.  The trial was too short to confirm this, but the researchers saw the first signs of this happening in the participants who were slightly overweight, who had more inflammatory markers in their blood.

Carrageenan, identified as E 407 in Europe, is used as a thickening agent in many processed foods such as meat, jellies, ice creams, and puddings.

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