Member Portal

A safe and vetted space to explore Recipes, Supplementation, Probiotics, Food Based Approaches, Nutrients, and IBD Q&As

Food Additives and IBD

Membership, Q&As

Quality Rating

If you were to look at a food package and read the ingredients, how would you know if there was an additive listed? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-nutritive food additives are used to improve the freshness, texture, safety, and taste of particular foods.  For example, certain food additives like sodium benzoate are added to foods to help prevent microbial damage to the food and to stop it from spoiling. While food additives can be useful for many reasons, they can also be of concern when it comes to gut health.  Read further to learn how certain additives can affect microbial health in patients with IBD.Artificial SweetenersThis can include additives such as sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium which can enhance sweetness without adding extra calories or sugar to the product (1).  These additives can be found in many products including pastries, candies, sodas, and other items.  These artificial sweeteners have been shown to increase the risk of IBD and even progression of the disease (2).  One study showed sucralose (commonly found in Splenda), increasing inflammation in animal models for IBD and even changing the gut microbiota (3). EmulsifiersWhile there are many emulsifiers that are used for dressings, sauces, desserts, […]

Subscribe to keep reading

This post is free to read but only available to subscribers. Join today to get access to all posts.