Emulsifiers?

winters2

How do they cause damage? Would blending it render it harmless?

LucH

How do they cause damage? Would blending it render it harmless?

In short: yes if repeated. But we have to distinguish lasting or not lasting effect (can we recover).
Blending won't change the problem.

Guar Gum and the Carrageenan Family
Be careful with guar gum, which some sometimes call guar flour. It's harmful to the microbiome and liver if consumed in excessive amounts and frequency, of course. Agar agar is less problematic, but...

Carrageenan and Ray Peat.
According to Dr. Ray Peat: “Carrageenan contributes to the disappearance of the liver enzymes (the cytochrome P-450 system) that detoxify drugs, hormones, and a variety of other chemicals.”

Carrageenan and liver enzyme
=> Impact on immune system: cytopathic effect on macrophages, potentiation of tumor growth (immune response suppressed).
=> Damage encountered to the liver and kidneys when regularly used.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01967625 (see links too).

Guar gum and gut bacteria
=> Guar gum induces a selective adaptation of microbial taxonomy and function. Stimulates Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria in the human large intestine.
Note’editor: White side of the angel
Black side: Refined guar gum may heighten the intestinal inflammation in patients with IBD.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1160694/full
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S247529912311660X#:~:text=Conclusions,inflammation in patients with IBD.

*) Galactomannan and sides effects
This polysaccharide may be produced by aspergillus => antifungal reaction by fragile / weak persons.

*) Direct impact of commonly used dietary emulsifiers on human gut microbiota
Sabrine Naimi et al. 2021 Mar 22. doi: 10.1186/s40168-020-00996-6
Most, but not all, emulsifiers impact microbiota composition.
Stark detrimental impacts were observed in response to various carrageenans and gums, which altered microbiota density, composition, and expression of pro-inflammatory molecules.
Conclusions: These results indicate that numerous, but not all, commonly used emulsifiers can directly alter gut microbiota in a manner expected to promote intestinal inflammation. Moreover, these data suggest that clinical trials are needed to reduce the usage of the most detrimental compounds in favor of the use of emulsifying agents with no or low impact on the microbiota.

This could be interesting:
Direct impact of commonly used emulsifiers on human gut microbiota
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7986288/
Excerpt (scroll with PC mouse until figure 7, text lies between figure 7 and table 2)
To conclude, (…)
"Microbiotas exposed to xantham gum, sorbitain monostearate, and glyceryl stearate displayed a tendency of increased LPS levels (toxins) during the treatment phase, which became significant in the post-treatment phase, suggesting that these dietary emulsifiers induce slow but persistent increase in the microbiota’s expression of these pro-inflammatory molecules. Moreover, all carrageenans (iota, kappa, and lambda), as well as xantham gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum, significantly induced bioactive levels of flagellin in a reversible manner"
"Locust bean gum, HPMC, guar gum, and kappa carrageenan impacted various parameters in a reversible manner, while xantham gum, sorbitan monostearate, glyceryl stearate, maltodextrin, and P80 impacted various microbiota parameters, both compositionally and/or functionally, in a non-reversible manner (Table (Table22 and Fig. Fig.8).8). These results suggest that particular caution should be employed for these latter compounds, and suggest priorities for further in vivo testing of these emulsifiers broadly used by the food industry".

LucH

In summary
The impact of the family carraghenane must be analyzed from the sensibility of the ground (low-grade inflamed or IBS), the frequency and the amount brought by additives. Not only the kind. And please don’t cumulate the use of "gums" as link in a sauce or a smoothie, and the use of gluten from bread, pasta or pastry. Rice is less dangerous (because the kind is less allergenic: 5 % orzénine) because the impact on zonulin is weaker. Zonulin is a protein that command the opening of tight junctions (intestinal permeability => leaky gut).
NB: I try to limit the use of “gluten”, though I’m not defined as intolerant. Why? Everybody is more or less allergic to the family gluten. You recuperate during the night if you haven’t pulled the rope too hard and too often. Mix the source of your carbs – and if you eat more than 2 or 3x/wk. a kind – make a search on inconvenient.
One way: At breakfast, my energy doesn’t come from cereals, most of the time. No gluten at all, nor any pseudo-cereals. I often eat 2 fruits, with one protein (cheese or ham) + one tsp coconut oil.

*) Useful link (in French, translator needed)
Gluten et taux de prolamines (Gluten and prolamin levels)
http://mirzoune-ciboulette.forumactif.org/t946-gluten-et-taux-de-prolamines#9260

Understanding the Different Types of "Gluten"
With or without gluten? Oats, corn, rice, teff? What's the difference between rice flour and buckwheat flour? And quinoa?
And what is gluten? Because gluten is a generic term, misused by manufacturers who misuse the term "gluten-free."

Amount of gluten (prolamin) in cereals
For people intolerant or allergic to what is called gluten, it is not the glutenins, but the prolamins that pose a problem, as already mentioned. And the higher the prolamin level, the greater the risk of a reaction.

Wheat: 69% alpha gliadin (GI 60–65–85, depending on the type, whole or white).
Corn: 55% zenin (GI 70)
Rice: 5% orzenin (GI 75 to 95, depending on the type: whole or semi-whole – white)

Zonulin?
Zonulin is an inflammatory protein discovered by Alessio Fasano in 2000. Zonulin causes the tight junctions between cells in the intestinal wall to open, leading to abnormal permeability and the passage of insufficiently digested proteins into the blood, which can trigger immune reactions.
This abnormal permeability (also called "leaky gut") allows the passage of highly inflammatory endotoxins, which come either from intestinal bacteria or bacteria present in food.
Gliadin, one of the proteins in gluten, increases zonulin secretion.

CrumblingCookie

What's your overall opinion on Guar gum / Guam seed flour then? Is it alright? Is it still bad, but much less so than the others?
Those thickeners are blended into all kind of food staples nowadays. It's already a positively surprising exception when store-bought bread only lists guar seed flour instead of also mono- and diglycerides and xanthan and whatnot.

@LucH said:

Guar gum induces a selective adaptation of microbial taxonomy and function. Stimulates Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria in the human large intestine.
Note’editor: White side of the angel

This reads good on the one hand yet it increases bacterial virulence:

all carrageenans (iota, kappa, and lambda), as well as xantham gum, guar gum, and locust bean gum, significantly induced bioactive levels of flagellin in a reversible manner

LucH

@CrumblingCookie said in Emulsifiers?:

What's your overall opinion on Guar gum / Guam seed flour then? Is it alright? Is it still bad,

but much less so than the others?

Those thickeners are blended into all kind of food staples nowadays. It's already a positively surprising

General opinion: the less, the best.
Avoid as much as possible if you suffer from IBS since it's going to make things worse.
Most of them (75%) give reversible effects if you don't take them too frequently.
E.g. I've changed my coconut milk when they changed in my store market and decided to take a cheaper one, made of 80 % coco, water and agar agar. I'm not a pidgeon!
I tolerate now max 5 % guar gum but I use this less often. 400 ml coco for at least 4 or 5 times. With one drop EO the 4th day to keep it save.

As you see, it's going to excite some bacteria. Some are appreciated, others not. But when do you want to excite the affairs!? With no real choice since it's unconscious / not controlled. Too much of a good thing is bad. Make pause.

It's not the first time we're advised to read the excipients when buying manufactured food. Question of frequency and quantity.
Afterwards it becomes a habit.
Eat more vegetables, fruits and home made soup (8-10 portions) and less pastry or pre-cooked pasta or rice. I still eat a pizza but only once a week or every 2 weeks.
NB: I use the deep-freezer for my soup and bone broth.
Begin your outside meal with a carrot salad (2 carrots, an apple and lemon juice or bio apple cider). Only once a day (chelation).
By the way, for other readers: I leave my fruits (pear, apple, blueberries, etc.) 12' minimum in water with 1 big tsp bicarbonate powder. pH 8.5 must be reached. Then Rinse with a brush. It takes 95 % % of the pesticides. It has been verified by a scientific approach (study).

16charactersitis

@winters2 they mostly cause internal bleeding. As long as they are in the food one eats, they will have that deleterious effect