Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide used by the food industry mainly as a thickener and stabilizer. It has the ability to modify the consistency of foods even in relatively small quantities and maintains its characteristics over a wide range of temperatures and pH values.
Therefore E415, this is the acronym found on the label, can appear in numerous everyday products, such as sauces and condiments, ice creams, gluten-free products, drinks and plant-based alternatives to milk. It is also used in preparations intended for people with swallowing difficulties, precisely because it allows liquids and foods to become denser.
But are there any risks? A group of researchers from the Federal University of Sao Paulo in Brazil recently published the results of their study in the scientific journal PLOS One.
The objective was to understand what happens in the intestine following a continuous intake of xanthan gum, taking into consideration both the possible inflammatory response and the changes in the colon microbiota.
The experiments were conducted on 32 adult male rats, divided into four groups. One group received a normal control diet, while the other three had xanthan gum added in different amounts.
The experiment lasted 10 weeks, at the end of which the researchers analyzed the animals’ colon, some markers linked to inflammation and the intestinal barrier and the composition of the microbiota present in the feces.
The results of the study
One of the most interesting results concerns the microscopic analysis of the colon. In rats that received xanthan gum, the researchers observed an increased presence of inflammatory cells in the intestinal wall, especially lymphocytes. The effect was more evident in the groups that received the intermediate and higher doses.
Using a scale to grade the intensity of inflammation, animals in the intermediate and highest dose groups scored significantly higher than the control group.
The authors therefore describe the phenomenon as a moderate inflammatory process in the distal colon. However, it is important not to turn this result into a broader conclusion than the experiment allows: researchers have currently observed this effect in rats, not in people.
The scholars then examined some proteins involved in the functioning of the intestinal barrier. Among these is Claudin-2, a protein of the junctions between the cells of the intestinal epithelium. In the experimental model used, its presence was greater in rats exposed to xanthan gum.
An increase in the presence of TNF-α, a molecule involved in inflammatory processes, was also observed in the groups that had taken the additive. ZO-1, another protein involved in epithelial cell junctions, also showed changes in one of the treated groups.
These results, considered together with histological images of the colon, led the authors to believe that prolonged intake of xanthan gum may have promoted an inflammatory response and modified some aspects of the intestinal barrier.
But can we apply these findings to humans? The research offers an interesting signal, but does not yet allow us to draw conclusions on human health. As we have seen, in the animal model used, the continuous intake of xanthan gum was associated with changes in the colon, inflammation signals and changes in the composition of the microbiota.
The results also fit into a line of previous research cited by the same authors, which had already highlighted possible pro-inflammatory effects of xanthan gum and alterations of some intestinal parameters. This new study therefore adds further observations, but is not yet sufficient to establish that the same phenomenon occurs in humans.
To understand this, further studies will therefore be necessary, particularly on humans, to verify whether these changes also recur in people, at what levels of exposure and whether they have actual consequences on intestinal health.
