Nutrition scientist: The truth about emulsifiers and ultra-processed foods | Dr Federica Amati

Emulsifiers are common in our diets, enhancing the texture, appearance and shelf life of many foods. But are they safe?

In today’s episode, Jonathan and Federica uncover the surprising truth about emulsifiers in our food. We learn the science behind emulsifiers, their impact on health, and the rising concerns over there extensive use in ultra-processed foods.

Dr Federica Amati is a King’s College London researcher and a registered nutritionist. She is also a lecturer and Nutrition Topic Lead at Imperial College School of Medicine. Federica empowers people with accessible, practical knowledge to make informed choices on diet and lifestyle and to improve health based on unique needs and preferences, at every stage of life.

*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system

Timecodes:
00:00 Introduction
01:30 What are emulsifiers doing in our food?
02:35 How common are emulsifiers in our food?
03:13 What to look out for on packaging
04:14 What are emulsifiers made from?
04:55 How emulsifiers work
08:22 Why is it so hard to determine how many emulsifiers we consume?
10:13 Are emulsifiers bad for us?
11:01 Emulsifiers and our gut health
12:13 New risks emerging from human studies
15:08 How to reduce emulsifiers in your diet

Mentioned in today’s episode:

Bacterial Overgrowth and Inflammation of Small Intestine After Carboxymethylcellulose Ingestion in Genetically Susceptible Mice, from Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

[peter.]

I have a masters of science in human nutrition, and [edited once to add the word "synthetic"] synthetic emulsifiers are a class of chemicals I wouldn't eat, even if you paid me $1, 000 on the spot. I have one note - most commercial baking yeast contains sorbitan monostearate; though the amount is tiny, so it might not be an issue. I use all natural yeast to bake breads.

[annettestephens]

As a sufferer of IBS I don’t eat any emulsifiers. My choices in the supermarket are pretty limited but my overall health has hugely improved since I became aware of what’s in the food.

[bobcannell]

mustard is an emulsifier (vinaigrette, mayonnaise). other natural ones are pectin in pears and fruit, milk proteins (used to make oil and flour and water based sauces), lecithin in egg yolks, sunflower seeds and soya flour. eggs contain emulsifying lipids. Emulsifiers are not bad per se. It is the artificial ones and the unnaturally concentrated natural ones that may be. i'm pretty sure as a cook that porridge oats contain emulsifiers, polysaccharides? porridge is one of the healthiest carbohydrate sources. emulsions, stable mixtures of fats and waters are a core of the tastiest cooking eg most french sauces!

[LeilaLamb]

My rule of thumb is: scratch cook as much as possible.

[zanna]

I have IBS and I'm also lactose intolerant. Several years ago I switched to plant-based milks to avoid lactose, but noticed that I was often still experiencing upset bowels. My husband, who is a chemical technologist, took a look at the ingredients in my plant-based milk and told me it was probably the emulsifiers that were the culprit. I then switched to brands that didn't have emulsifiers in them, and had no problems with them. I had to give them a good shake every time I used them, but I was fine with that. But then they became more and more expensive, and harder to find. My favorite brands of split pea milk and chickpea milk would often completely disappear from every store in my city for months at a time. And when I could find them they were anywhere from $6 - $8 for a 1 litre carton. This is when I decided to start making my own. I looked up a few recipes, did some experimenting, and finally came up with a recipe that I liked. It's cheap, it's easy, and I know exactly what's in it. The sad fact is that the main priority for many food manufacturers is their profit. Our health is often not even a consideration at all. Making things ourselves from scratch is an option, but we all have busy lives, and it's not always practical. But we can educate ourselves, carefully read ingredient lists, and use our spending power to let food manufacturers know that they need to give us real healthy options.

[rosemarie]

Always find these types of topics interesting. I have studied nutrition and food science so do understand a lot about these topics. So I want to add in my thoughts- scientific studies about effects on food (specific types, nutritive and nonnutritive including all types of additives are VERY difficult and provide limited info as there are is so many contributing factors! You cannot look at one specific ingredient in isolation.
Everyone wants to know what is the magic food that is best for me and what are the foods (additives etc) that should be avoided. Everyone wants the list
The bottom line is to eat as “healthy “ as you can! And I have to say that most of us do know what that means - whole foods and eat a variety - vary your diet. The only reason to avoid specific groups of foods is if you have a disease or condition…
That S does require work as you have to COOK and BAKE and shop around more regularly.
Of course you will have some processed foods but simply continue to try and eat less of them and do the best you can
Some people do better than others and that is ok as we all can’t have gardens etc
Remember everything in moderation and some less or more - this has been the hardest lesson to teach people as the quick fix approach is as strong as ever.

[joesamko]

I took sunflower lecithin as a supplement and had terrible break outs. When i eat chocolate i got the same break outs. I have known that lecithins are bad, but it is good to know how ubiquitous they are in the processed food. A couple days ago i bought oat milk for the first time. I have some arthritic pain and itchy skin. It is a blessing that i have found this information. Thank you for the video.

[Elspm]

Most natural emulsifiers are quite weak in their normal state - making mayo at home is work. Presumably individually added emulsifiers in UPF are more effective and stable on the shelf, so I would suspect that's why we're seeing a gut effect that is outsized.

[sentinel]

In the UK the only non-dairy milks without emulsifiers I've found are basically those that are "organic" & have "no added sugar". Some others sneakily have a 'vegetable' oil (which are highly artificial/processed) as an emulsifier instead of the obvious ones.

[SarahMcAshan]

My experience using powdered Xanthan gum in home cooking for family members (gluten free baking and dairy-free ice creams) indicates that it really can impact gut balance in a noticeable way 😬.I've switched to soy lecithin--and as little as possible!

[marathorne]

There are plant milks that are made purely with nuts and water, or oats and water. You just have to remember to shake them before use - no big deal. It's not impossible to find better alternatives to most things, although maybe your local corner shop won't stock them and you'll need to look further afield. We've tried very hard to eliminate all UPFs from our diet. It's not easy, you need to take your reading glasses with you when you go shopping, so you can read tge ingredient labels! But if enough consumers demand better, less "industrial" options, the food companies will have to respond.

[karenlouisefletcher]

As an avid fan of Zoe - I can’t help but worry sometimes - with content like this.
Yes - we one hundred percent need to be eating food as close to its natural form as is possible.
And Yes - a diet of refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, emulsifiers and zero fresh produce is NOT good for us.
But are you now demonising foods that are not actually that heavily processed - just because they are emulsifiers?
Carrageenan is a seaweed. The most that is done is to dry it and grind it up. Likewise guar gum and even corn starch.
The argument that there are studies to suggest that those particular emulsifiers have an adverse effect on the microbiome is hard to understand.
Then nori and beans and corn should also affect the microbiome as they have a similar nutritional profile.
We know that some people have to follow a FODMAP diet due to intolerances - but that doesn’t mean foods restricted on a FODMAP diet are bad.
I’m struggling with how you are throwing baby out with the bath water here. Almost scaremongering.
Our great grandparents ate gravy and custard and mayonnaise and loads of foods with emulsifiers long before heavily processed foods that we eat today came along.

[neshazalesny]

Guar and xantha(N) are not emulsifiers. They thicken water. An emulsifier interacts with both phases (water and oil in salad dressings) and enables them to mix. Guar and xanthan only interact with water. Both guar and xanthan are technically a fiber, and typical usage is around 250 ppm.

[chuckylamb]

Also depends on who does the research!! If it’s food companies don’t trust it!!

[robertmalone]

I go by what Chris van tullerken says if you don’t have this particular ingredient in your kitchen cupboard don’t eat it. 😊

[deborahcohen]

I belong to a n=1 group of people who have found soy based emulsifier caused severe irritable bowel syndrome over 20 years ago. Glad to see the science catching up.

[Holzschieber]

Gall (or bile) is also an emulsifier. For example medicinenet: "When digesting fats, bile acts as an emulsifier to break the large fat globules into smaller emulsion droplets. Emulsified fats provide a larger area for the fat-digesting enzymes (lipase) to act, making the process quicker." Why is this good?

[keithpp]

Dark chocolate

- cocoa mass
- cocoa butter
- sugar
- vanilla (maybe)

There should be nothing else.

Emulsifiers sre added as a cheap substitute for cocoa butter.

[kcam]

I’ve always eaten healthily but now have hundreds of intolerance having developed gut permeability - had to cut out loads of veg, fruit and nuts down to an immune response giving me arthritic type flares amounts other things. For a while I’ve believed emulsifiers add to it. Recently worked out Carrageenan was responsible for me not being able to take a really useful vitamin supplement because it was used in production, took only a short while to work out it was that giving me horrible stomach pains and feeling sick. You almost can’t avoid these bloody things, 😡

[clivepierce]

An interesting topic. As a sufferer of several autoimmune conditions, I have a strict emulsifier free diet - no processed foods, no eggs or other natural emulsifiers, no medications or vitamins with CMC or other synthetic emulsifiers. Tiny quantities of both synthetic and natural emulsifiers cause me severe illness and weight loss. Recovery takes several months. It has taken me a decade of elimination diets to arrive at a short list of unprocessed foods that keep me healthy.