Ultra-processed foods and emulsifiers used in the food industry have been shown in large epidemiological studies to be a risk factor for the development of chronic inflammatory bowel disease, particularly Crohn's disease. However, food without emulsifiers is uncomfortable and difficult to maintain. Healthy combinations can provide a way out.
A meta-analysis of 5 cohort studies with over a million participants found a significant association between high consumption of highly processed foods and the incidence of Crohn's disease.1 The relative risk increase is in the order of 70%. In those with pre-existing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), high consumption of highly processed foods increased the likelihood of surgical intervention by 4-fold.2
The effects of this diet on the gut are varied, Prof Dr. Joao Sabino from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. On the one hand, they usually contain a lot of sugar, salt and fat, but there are also a lot of additives with different effects. Emulsifiers in particular are viewed critically in relation to IBD. Additionally, one should not lose sight of colors, sweeteners and preservatives, says Sabino. These compounds not only induce dysbiosis in the gut, but also directly damage the mucosa by activating pro-inflammatory pathways and weaken the gut barrier by disrupting junctions between epithelial cells (tight junctions). They also cause thinning of the mucus layer. Based on these data, Sabino asserts that the only commonality between the different diets proposed for IBD is the reduction of emulsifiers and highly processed foods. In practice, the two measures go hand in hand. Sabino: “If you cut back on highly processed foods, you're automatically cutting back on emulsifiers. At the same time, we were able to show that targeted reduction of emulsifiers in food automatically leads to lower consumption of highly processed food.
