Training gut's immune system to combat detrimental effects of emulsifiers in processed foods: Study

In a new study, mice with immune systems that had been trained against the microbial protein flagellin did not experience the usual harmful repercussions of taking food additive emulsifiers, pointing to a potential new way to combat numerous chronic inflammatory illnesses. Training gut's immune system to combat effects of emulsifiers in processed foods These findings were published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Melissa Kordahi and Benoit Chassaing, Inserm researchers from the Institut Cochin and Université Paris Cité in France, and colleagues. Previous study has revealed that consuming some emulsifiers may affect the gut microbiome—the microorganisms that normally exist in the gut—in such a way that some microbes are better able to breach the protective mucosal lining of the gut, potentially leading to persistent intestinal inflammation. Building on that earlier research, Kordahi and colleagues hypothesized that training the gut’s immune system to target flagellin—immunizing it against flagellin—may help protect against the detrimental downstream consequences of dietary emulsifier consumption.