A group of researchers led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst food scientist have found that a common food additive called E171 or food-grade titanium dioxide caused severe damage in the gut of mice.
Additionally, they have found that it caused alteration in the mice's gut microbiota. The additive was recently banned in France but is still allowed to be constituted in food in the United States and many other countries around the world.
Gut microbiota, which refers to the microorganisms found in the gut, plays a critical role in human health. Imbalance in these microorganisms has been found to cause a variety of health issues that include obesity, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Food grade titanium dioxide is usually found in food products such as candy, gum, desserts, and beverages. It makes products appear whiter and more opaque, which makes it more appealing for consumers.
According to Hang Xiao, a professor and Clydesdale Scholar of Food Science, exposure to the substance is two to four times higher in children than adults in the U.S. Moreover, he thinks the findings of their study would have a lot of implications in human health, nutrition, and the food industry.
Together with his colleagues from UMass Amherst and in China, Xiao published the research in the interdisciplinary journal Small on June 9, 2020.
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Harmful Effects Seen in Mice Studies
In their experiment, the team either fed the two populations of their mice subjects with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) or food-grade titanium dioxide (E171) as part of their daily diet.
One population was fed with a high-fat diet, similar to what Americans typically eat, while the other group was fed with a low-fat diet. Eventually, the researchers found that the mice who received the diet high in fat content became obese, while mice in the other population did not.
Furthermore, in both mice populations, the E171 and TiO2 NPs were equally distributed in their diets. According to Xiao, the nanosized atoms caused more adverse changes in both mice groups.
He explained that foodborne nanoscale particles smaller than 100 nanometers might possess rare physiological properties that may cause concern regarding health. Bigger particles aren't absorbed as easily, but smaller ones could get inside tissues and cause build-up.
Moreover, the team found that the obese mice had a higher risk of suffering from the negative effects of TiO2 NPs than non-obese mice. They also found that TiO2 NPs diminished cecal levels of short-chain fatty acids. These acids are vital for colon health and also increase pro-inflammatory immune cells and cytokines in the colon.
Colonic Damage from Food Additives
To see the effects of TiO2 NP-disrupted gut microbiota, the researchers directed a fecal transplant study. They administered antibiotics to clear out the mice's original gut microbiota and then transplanted the fecal bacteria from TiO2 NP-treated mice.
According to Xiao, the results support their theory that TiO2 NPs incorporated in the diet disrupts the gut microbiota. Furthermore, it leads to colonic inflammation in the mice subjects.
In addition, the study also determined the levels of TiO2 in human stools, and surprisingly found large traces of it. The researchers suggest that further research be conducted to understand the long-term implications of exposure to TiO2 NPs fully.
