A food dye, titanium dioxide or dioxide, which is present in industrial foods in Europe under the name of E171 , raises more and more concerns .

After a famous French study calling for a ban on food products, EFSA should have commented on the safety of this additive.

Already at the beginning of 2020, Italy had urged the European Commission to ban its use, given that it is a simple food color and that there is a risk of health problems. Basically, it was asked to ban the additive according to the precautionary principle . Since it is not certain that it is harmless, we might as well ban it pending further studies to clarify it.

Unfortunately, E171 is still an additive used by the food industry, especially for spreads, sweets, candies to which it gives an opaque white color.

Today, however, a new study raises the alarm.

And, although it has been conducted on mice so far, the results are troubling. In fact, titanium dioxide would cause a state of intestinal inflammation.

TITANIUM DIOXIDE: THE ADDITIVE THAT INFLAMES THE COLON

At the head of the research published in the scientific journal “Small” , Dr. Hang Xiao studied the effects of the additive’s nanoparticles on the colon and liver. The researcher’s thesis is that these nanoparticles accumulate over time in the tissues of the organs, inflaming them. Taking two samples of mice, one obese group and the other of normal weight, it was found that the additive caused a change in the bacterial intestinal flora, reducing the production of short-chain fatty acids, essential for a good metabolism, and instead promoting the production of inflammatory cytokines even in normal weight mice. In addition, negative effects were found in normal liver function.
To understand how important short-chain fatty acids are, just read thelatest study published in Dcomedieta which links them to greater longevity. 

Finally, the researchers led by Dr. Xiao noted that in combination with a high-fat diet, E171 promotes their storage in body fat, increasing the risk of being overweight.