Food manufacturers add emulsifiers to thousands of food products to stabilize their consistency, even though a large and growing body of research shows some emulsifiers are linked to health problems, according to a recent investigation by KFF Health News.
“Studies have found that emulsifiers can alter the mix of bacteria in the gut, known as the microbiome or microbiota; damage the lining of the gastrointestinal tract; and trigger inflammation, potentially contributing to problems elsewhere in the body,” according to KFF.
KFF’s investigation consulted experts globally who argued that emulsifiers should be eliminated from processed foods, or that it “may be prudent to limit intake” of some of the most toxic ones — like polysorbate 80 (PS-80) — and that doing so might eliminate debilitating symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel diseases.
But what KFF didn’t note in its investigation, and what food experts on emulsifiers don’t address, is that PS-80 is also commonly used as an excipient in vaccines. It’s also added as an “inactive” ingredient to many slow-release drugs, like aspirin and Tylenol, to help stabilize the drugs. It’s even found in some skincare products.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Vaccine Education Center, which promotes vaccines as safe and effective, reports that PS-80 is present in 22 vaccines given to children or pregnant women.
CHOP says that people are exposed to PS-80 in many products, including lotions, makeup, shampoos and conditioners, and common foods, including salad dressings, canned foods, and ice cream. The website states that the amount of the chemical in vaccines is comparable to an extremely tiny piece of a raisin.
Children’s Health Defense Senior Research Scientist Karl Jablonowski said that doesn’t make it safe.
“Nature didn’t create polysorbate 80. Chemical companies did, to make ice cream melt a certain way, to make baked goods uniform and to keep mixed things mixed.”
Jablonowski added:
“Though the processing of food and cosmetics has its desired chemical effect, it also has an unintended consequence that is deleterious to health. Once polysorbate 80 is added, I would no longer consider it fit for human consumption.
“Anything that is injected bypasses our natural defenses. A substance that is unfit to ingest is certainly unfit to inject.”