This Common Food Additive Is In Everything — and It Could Be Messing With Your Health

Some substances don’t mix naturally, like oil and water. But many recipes call for these incompatible ingredients to be featured together. That’s where emulsifiers come in. These substances allow foods like salad dressings, baked goods, and ice cream to come to life — and they may be messing with your health.

That’s the major takeaway from several recent studies. Data suggest that emulsifiers can do a number on your gut microbiome and even impact your brain.

However, emulsifiers are found in a wide range of processed foods — such as salad dressings, baked goods, and flavored drinks — making them difficult to avoid. Here’s what the data show about emulsifiers, plus how concerned about this you should be.

What are emulsifiers?

Emulsifiers are food additive molecules that work to prevent the separation of liquids that don’t usually mix. These ingredients help to “give foods the texture and consistency consumers expect,” per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

There are many emulsifiers in the food chain, but some of the more common options include guar gum, lecithin, and carrageenan. Emulsifiers have an FDA designation of GRAS (or “generally recognized as safe”), which means that qualified experts have deemed them safe when used as intended.

What does the data show?

Over the past few years, research has suggested that emulsifiers are bad for your gut and even your brain.

One recent study, published in the journal Nature Communications Biology in June 2024, analyzed the impact of several emulsifiers on mice and found the additives were linked to bodily inflammation, along with higher blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, which can lead to diabetes. Synthetic emulsifiers seemed to cause more harm than natural emulsifiers, based on the findings.

Another study, this one published in the journal BMC Microbiome, analyzed the impact of several emulsifiers on gut cells. The researchers concluded that “numerous, but not all, commonly used emulsifiers can directly alter gut microbiota in a manner expected to promote intestinal inflammation.” This particular study found that the emulsifiers polysorbate 80 and carboxymethylcellulose were linked to the most gut microbiome disruption, as well as inflammation.

But the impact of emulsifiers may go beyond the gut. A study published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity analyzed the impact of the emulsifier polysorbate 80 on mice and determined that the ingredient disrupted the blood-brain barrier. The researchers concluded that the study found “strong evidence” that a gut microbiome imbalance caused by diet “may be a risk factor for age-related cognitive decline.”

"By disrupting the delicate balance of gut bacteria, these compounds may set off a chain reaction of health issues that extend far beyond the gut."

Benoit Chassaing, PhD, emulsifier researcher and head of microbiome/host interactions at Institut Pasteur

Why might emulsifiers interfere with your gut and brain?

Research into this is ongoing, but there are some things to consider. “Evidence indicates that certain emulsifiers directly affect microbial communities in the gut,” says Benoit Chassaing, PhD, emulsifier researcher and head of microbiome/host interactions at Institut Pasteur. “These compounds can selectively disrupt the balance of microbes, killing off beneficial bacteria while creating an environment in which harmful bacteria, particularly those with pro-inflammatory tendencies, can thrive.”

Basically, emulsifiers may encourage bad or inflammatory bacteria to thrive while interfering with the good bacteria in your gut, explains Molly Rapozo, RDN, senior nutrition and health educator at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. This could cause “broader health implications,” Chassaing says, which may include changes to your metabolism and immune system.

Related: More Than 10,000 Chemical Food Additives Ended Up in the U.S. Food System — Here's Why

“Some emulsifiers also disrupt the protective barrier in the gut,” Rapozo says. The impact of that isn’t entirely clear, but it could potentially have a negative influence on your overall health, including on your brain, she says.

Still, it’s tricky at this point to say that emulsifiers alone will cause you to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. “The exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not completely understood,” says Verna Porter, MD, a neurologist and director of the Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and Neurocognitive Disorders at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

The biggest concern right now is that emulsifiers and other additives may lead to chronic inflammation in the gut, Chassaing says. “This inflammation doesn't just remain confined to the gut — it can act as a catalyst for various chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), metabolic syndrome, and even conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” he says. “In essence, by disrupting the delicate balance of gut bacteria, these compounds may set off a chain reaction of health issues that extend far beyond the gut.”

How to take care of your gut microbiome

Experts stress the importance of supporting your gut microbiome. “One of the most impactful steps is reducing or eliminating the consumption of ultra-processed foods, which often contain emulsifiers and other potentially harmful additives,” Chassaing says.

Ultra-processed foods are dramatically altered from their natural state. They usually contain sugar, oil, salt, or other substances, as well as artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, and other ingredients, which are added to preserve their texture and longevity.

Related: This Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Linked to Heart Attacks and Strokes, Research Shows

“Focus instead on eating a diet rich in whole, minimally-processed foods, including plenty of fiber from fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, which feed beneficial gut bacteria,” Chassaing says.

Rapozo also stresses the importance of eating plenty of fiber to support gut health. “An imbalanced gut microbiome leads to greater disease risk,” she says. “But you can do things to help.”

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