A new study examines the ability of the human gut microbiome to digest xanthan gum, a relatively recently introduced food ingredient found in many processed foods.
If you're a reader of food labels, you've likely encountered an ingredient called xanthan gum in everything from yogurt to baked goods to salad dressing. Xanthan gum is commonly added to processed foods, foods that have been altered from their natural state and which make up almost 70 percent of the typical U.S. diet. It is often used as a thickener due to its unique ability to make liquids more viscous. A new study led by Matthew Ostrowski, Ph.D. and Eric Martens, Ph.D. of the University of Michigan Medical School Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Sabina Leanti La Rosa, Ph.D. and Phillip Pope, Ph.D. of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, examines the ability of the human gut microbiome to digest…