You may not know this, but there are tens of trillions of tiny organisms that call your intestine “home.” Gut microbiota, or gut flora, is the name given to that small-but-mighty microbe population. With 1000 different species of known bacteria with more than 3 million genes, your gut microbiota can weigh up to 2 kg (Source: Gut Microbiota for Health).
Researchers have been fascinated with gut microbiota because of its effect on our health such as vitamin production, immune function and proper digestion. Gut microbiota also protects the intestinal mucosa from being penetrated by harmful microorganisms.
Dr. Emilie Viennois, assistant professor at the Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences in Atlanta, believes that dietary emulsifiers, a common food additive, may make harmful changes in microbiota and increase the risk for colon cancer. Emulsifiers are added to processed food to help water and oil mix together to create a smooth texture. They are found in ice creams, smoothies, mayonnaise, soft drinks, breads, cakes, margarine, and hundreds of other foods that are available in grocery stores today (Source: Food Additives) .
While a healthy gut is protected from harmful bacteria, emulsifiers appear to disrupt the balance of gut microbiota and transport bacteria across cells that line the intestinal wall. Dr. Viennois led a team of researchers to examine the effect of certain dietary changes in mice and cancer tumor development. The team found that low concentrations of two common emulsifiers, carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, caused inflammation in the intestines of mice and created an environment favorable to the development of cancer. Dr. Viennois believes that these and other emulsifiers may have the same detrimental effect on human intestinal mucosa and promote the risk for colon cancer (Source: Medical News Today).
Maybe it is time to analyze your diet and make some changes in the foods that you eat. Although you cannot change certain risk factors for colon cancer such as age, ethnicity and family history, you have control over the food that you put into your body. A diet that is based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins offers the best protection against colon cancer. A good rule of thumb is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store to select the fresh, healthy foods and avoid the boxed, preserved foods in the middle of the grocery store.