The microbiota as a key ally in predicting individual sensitivity to food additives

Emulsifiers, a type of food additive, are widely used in the food industry and found in many products we consume on a daily basis, such as sandwich bread, ice cream, cream and plant milk. Emulsifiers are now so ubiquitous in our diets that their health impact has become an important public health issue. Benoit Chassaing, Inserm Director of Research and Head of the Microbiome-Host Interactions team at the Institut Pasteur (Inserm/Université Paris Cité/CNRS), previously demonstrated that these additives play a role in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases and metabolic deregulation by acting directly on the gut microbiota. In a new study, published in the journal Gut, he and his team developed a human microbiota model capable of predicting individual sensitivity to an emulsifier through a simple stool sample. This discovery paves the way for a personalized approach to nutrition based on the gut microbiota, aimed at maintaining good gut and metabolic health.
 
Find out more (in French)