Clinical Research Directory

AdHuman - Impact of Food Additives in Humans

Sponsor: Siv K Bohn

Summary

Food additives, in particular hydrocolloids (thickening, gelling and stabilising agents), are widely used in the food supply. Concerns about carrageenan have led the food industry to replace it with alternative hydrocolloids, yet no one has compared these different commercial additives with respect to their effects on health. Experimental studies indicate that hydrocolloids can interact with the intestinal barrier, gut microbiota and immune signalling, with possible implications for both the gut-liver and gut-brain axes, but how they compare in humans is unknown. This study investigates how different food additives affect health in healthy adults. In an initial run-in period, all participants follow a standardised diet low in food additives to establish a common background diet. Participants are then randomised to receive foods containing different hydrocolloids - carrageenan and its commercial replacements - or a reference dietary fibre as comparator, on top of the shared background diet. The study examines effects on the liver, gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid production, as well as measures relevant to the gut-brain axis such as mood, gastrointestinal symptoms and sleep. By providing the first controlled human comparison of carrageenan and its replacements, the study addresses a timely public health and regulatory question: whether the reformulation already adopted by the food industry has any measurable consequences for gut, liver and brain health.

Official title: AdHuman - Health Effects of Food Additives - Implications for the Gut-brain- and Gut-liver Axis

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