Common food additive may be impacting your gut health

Science is increasingly finding evidence that our gut health, or gut microbiome, is linked to our overall health. Though more research is needed, studies are slowly linking digestive health, disease, even mental health, to the tiny micro organisms that live in our digestive tracts. New study from the University of Sydney, has found yet another reason why we might be unknowing damaging our guts, and our health.

itanium dioxide nanoparticles E171 may impact human health Source: Flickr

New research is providing evidence that nanoparticles, present in many food items in the form of food additives, may have a harmful effect on human health. A study on mice, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, found that the consumption of food containing additive E171 had an impact on the gut microbiota of these mice.  The gut microbiota, comprised of trillions of bacteria that inhabit the gut, is increasingly linked to overall human health with research suggesting that health functioning microbiomes impact digestive health, metal health and susceptibility to diseases.