Nanoparticles in your food may alter your gut


Are you ingesting tiny metal particles with your food and candy?
Nanoparticles are very tiny particles. They have become ubiquitous over the past few years and not much thought is usually given to them. It may be that we can’t see them, so we ignore them. But our bodies don’t ignore them.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are found in many consumer products – cosmetics, agricultural chemicals, processed food and nutritional supplements. It is also a useful thickener for paints. This metal is found in nearly any modern processed food.

Should we worry about consuming it? The FDA lists it as “generally recognized as safe”. Isn’t that a guarantee of safety? That picture may be changing. Recent work conducted at Binghampton University in New York has raised some concerns.

Researcher used tissue cultures of small intestine tissue and subjected the tissues to both acute and chronic doses of titanium dioxide. They found that acute doses did not alter the gut tissue, but chronic exposure did. The absorptive area was reduced and the ability to absorb nutrients was absorbed as well. An inflammation response was also detected.

In addition to the recent work in NY, French research published in Nature, has raised suspicions that the additive(aka E171) may be linked to cancer.

Dunkin’ Donuts and some food processors in France have already removed E171 from their foods.

 Further Reading:
Science Daily    
Science Direct   

Sidney Morning Herald               

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