Food dyes and additives are becoming so rampant in foods that it’s almost impossible to avoid them altogether. While eliminating ultra-processed foods and eating a nutritious diet is key, maintaining the health of your gut microbiome is an equally important factor. The good bacteria in your gut can keep your gut lining strong and increase your body’s capacity to get rid of food contaminants. Can probiotics help detox food dyes and other additives by encouraging a healthy, resilient gut microbiome?
Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only. Please discuss your health concerns with your care provider and consult them before taking any supplements to avoid disease and drug interactions.
The Dangers of Food Dyes & Other Chemicals in Food
Food additives have no nutritional value, yet they can be used in foods to “enhance” their consistency, flavor, color, and shelf life. The biggest culprits are ultra-processed foods, which also contain an array of other ingredients harmful to human health (Warner, 2024).
Ultra-processed foods have been described by researchers as “a ticking time bomb for adult obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, mental health disorders, and cancers.” (Warner, 2024).
It’s especially concerning that the main consumers of ultra-processed foods are children. In children, the consumption of ultra-processed foods and food additives—especially food dyes—has been linked to neurobehavioral disorders like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism in numerous studies (Warner, 2024; Bakthavachalu et al., 2020; Kemp, 2008; Miller et al., 2022).
Of all additives, scientific analyses identified azo food dyes like Red 40 and the preservative sodium benzoate as the most dangerous ones to health (Warner, 2024).
Scientists even say food dyes are the riskiest category of all food additives! (Zhang et al., 2023)
The rise in synthetic dyes in our food has been linked to a serious, widespread rise in gut disorders, including IBD, IBS, “leaky gut,” and even early-onset colorectal cancer (He et al., 2016; Hofseth et al., 2024).
Don’t miss our previous post about the link between Red 40, IBS, and other gut disorders!
In this post, we’ll focus on some incredible new research suggesting how probiotics might help detox food dyes and other food additives and contaminants.
Summary
Food additives are added to many ultra-processed foods. They have been linked to serious diseases in adults and children, including ADHD, autism, obesity, heart disease, and potentially even cancer. Food dyes like Red 40 have also been associated with gut disorders and inflammation.
The Role of Diet & the Gut Microbiome in Detoxing Food Additives
For sure, the best way to detox food additives is to avoid them altogether and to eat a clean, organic, whole-food diet.
However, avoiding processed foods altogether may be impossible for some—especially if you want to dine out now and then or have an occasional snack.
Plus, even if you remove ultra-processed foods from your diet, you may still be exposed to additives if you’re not eating 100% organic.
Not to mention that some medications and even supplements contain food dyes and additives.
With this in mind, the best strategy to take—in addition to eating the healthiest you can—is to enrich your gut microbiome with selected probiotics.
Probiotics can help strengthen the tight junctions in your gut (countering “leaky gut” and making it harder for food toxins to enter your bloodstream). They also make your digestion more efficient and increase your absorption of nutrients from food (Gul et al., 2024).
What you probably didn’t know is that probiotics can also help detox food additives and other chemicals and contaminants that may be sneaking their way into your food. This way, probiotics make you more resilient to contaminants and better at getting rid of any you may come across (Średnicka et al., 2021; Ansari et al., 2024; Petrova et al., 2022).
Several studies published over the past five years reveal probiotics may help detox, degrade, and remove food contaminants—including food dyes. Scientists have described them as “a biological detoxification tool of food chemical contamination.” Probiotics work by increasing your gut microbiome’s capacity to metabolize foreign toxins and get rid of them (Średnicka et al., 2021).
Summary
Avoid ultra-processed foods, which are high in additives and synthetic dyes, and eat a nutritious whole-food diet. Adding probiotics to your regimen may also help increase your body’s capacity to detox food additives and other chemicals.
How Can Probiotics Detox Food Contaminants?
Chronic exposure to food contaminants causes inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut disorders by disrupting the gut microbiome and triggering dysbiosis. Several scientific reviews state that probiotics are a promising approach to reducing these risks by boosting detoxification (Średnicka et al., 2021; Ansari et al., 2024; Petrova et al., 2022)
Studies found that Lactobacillus probiotics can reduce heavy metals toxicity, while various probiotic strains can bind to and metabolize chemical pollutants like pesticides and mycotoxins (Średnicka et al., 2021).
Some scientists have even termed our gut microbiome the “microbial pharmacists within,” since our gut bacteria seem to have knowledge on how to degrade and remove toxins from our gut to keep us healthy (Spanogiannopoulos et al., 2017).
1. Activating Detox Genes (Epigenetics)
All chemicals that are foreign to humans are called xenobiotics. One way in which probiotics increase detoxification is via epigenetics—by turning on xenobiotic detoxification genes (Średnicka et al., 2021).
The gut microbiome can affect which detoxification genes are active in the liver. It can also activate genes related to enhancing immunity, countering inflammation, and reducing the absorption of toxic compounds (Średnicka et al., 2021).
2. Strengthening the Gut Lining
Tight junctions exist between cells all along the gut lining to ensure that no foreign substances enter the body without being properly processed and absorbed. Tightly lined gut cells only let nutrients in while denying the passage of harmful compounds. These tight junctions are covered by a mucous layer rich in probiotics as additional protection (Średnicka et al., 2021).
When the gut lining is disrupted or damaged, it becomes weak and permeable. This leads to diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, and others. Food dyes like Red 40 have been linked with IBS and they’re thought to damage the gut’s right junctions and trigger colonic inflammation (Zhang et al., 2023).
Probiotics may counter the negative effects of food dyes and additives by strengthening the integrity of the gut lining. Lactobacillus probiotics can also produce proteins that strengthen the bonds between the gut’s mucous layer and the gut lining, preventing any toxins or pathogens from passing through (Średnicka et al., 2021).
3. Reducing Oxidative Stress
Food contaminants cause oxidative stress and can deplete the body’s antioxidant enzymes (Średnicka et al., 2021).
Probiotics can help protect from oxidative stress by producing antioxidant metabolites like butyrate, folate, and vitamins B1 and B12. They can also replete the levels of key antioxidant enzymes like SOD and glutathione and increase their activity (Średnicka et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2020).
Probiotics also counter oxidative stress by rebalancing the gut microbiome. A more diverse, healthier microbiome has a greater antioxidant capacity (Średnicka et al., 2021).
Probiotics Detox of Food Dyes: the Research
Although most studies focused on detoxing heavy metals, pesticides, and bacterial toxins, several studies also examined how probiotics can specifically detox and degrade food dyes.
Most Gut Bacteria Can Metabolize Food Dyes
Most of the bacteria in your gut microbiome have special enzymes that can metabolize bonds in azo food dyes like Red 40 (Spanogiannopoulos et al., 2017).
For some reason that’s still unclear to scientists, human gut bacteria have a sensor for chemical sequences called azo bonds. Once they pick up these bonds, they bind to and transform them in a chemical reaction called reduction (Spanogiannopoulos et al., 2017).
Medical research first became interested in how probiotics metabolize and degrade foreign substances because this affects drug prescription. The gut microbiome can affect the levels and activity of drugs in the body. It’s only recently that scientists started seeing how the same property might also be beneficial for detoxing the increasing levels of food and environmental toxins people are exposed to (Spanogiannopoulos et al., 2017).
This is exciting news, but there’s a dark side to it: some of the byproducts of azo dye gut metabolism may be toxic.
A 2023 Canadian study confirmed that most human gut bacteria can metabolize azo food dyes like Red 40 (Allura Red), Amaranth, Sunset Yellow, and Tartrazine (Elder et al., 2023).
The team of Canadian researchers grew over 124 human gut bacterial species in the lab and mixed them with the four food dyes. Amaranth was reduced the most while Tartarazine was reduced the least. Also, different strains of the same gut bacterial species varied in their activity. This goes to show that people may differ in how they metabolize food dyes since each person has a unique gut microbiome.
The researchers brought up a concern that, while most gut bacteria can metabolize these synthetic food dyes, some metabolites they produce may be harmful to health (Elder et al., 2023).
Studies have yet to test how diet and other factors affect further detoxification of these metabolic products, but one recent study gives us some clues.
Gut E. Coli Helps Break Down Food Dyes
One 2023 U.S. study found that the gut bacteria Escherichia Coli can metabolize and degrade azo food dyes like Red 40 (Pieper et al., 2023).
E. Coli gets a bad rap because some types of it can cause UTIs if they reach the urinary tract. However, E. Coli is an important part of a healthy gut microbiome. It’s among the first bacteria to colonize the gut of newborns, helping to produce vitamin K. E. Coli also aids digestion and protects your gut from other harmful bacteria (Martinson & Walk, 2020).
This study tested how amino acids and diet might play in. They found that the presence of the amino acid cysteine boosted E. Coli’s detox activity (Pieper et al., 2023).
Cysteine is found in eggs, meat, legumes, and whole grains. It’s a sulfur-rich amino acid that also helps make the body’s master antioxidant glutathione. Dietary intake of foods high in sulfur like broccoli and onions also helps boost cysteine and glutathione in the body (Brosnan & Brosnan, 2006; Hill et al., 2023).
It’s well-known that cruciferous and allium vegetables (read: broccoli, cauliflower, onions) are great for detoxification. This study provides us with additional clues as to why: they boost the gut microbiome’s detox capacity!
Therefore, pairing probiotics with cysteine- and sulfur-rich antioxidant foods may be a smart way to jumpstart your detox pathways.
Although this is exciting, we still need more research to know how well this works. Future studies should test how different probiotics and foods may affect the gut microbiome’s capacity to metabolize and fully break down food dyes.
Summary: Can Probiotics Help Detox Additives & Make Food Safer?
Ultra-processed foods are loaded with synthetic additives like food dyes, which have been linked to health concerns such as ADHD, autism, metabolic disorders, and gut inflammation. Of particular concern are azo dyes like Red 40 and preservatives like sodium benzoate, which scientists consider among the riskiest food additives.
While avoiding processed foods is the best approach, maintaining a strong gut microbiome may also help protect against these contaminants. Probiotics support gut barrier integrity, enhance digestion, and may even aid in detoxifying food dyes and other chemicals by breaking them down and reducing their harmful effects.
Emerging research suggests that probiotics can metabolize food dyes, but some metabolites may still be harmful. Supporting the gut microbiome with probiotics alongside sulfur- and antioxidant-rich foods like cruciferous vegetables and eggs may help optimize detoxification pathways.
Read Next:
Red 40 Food Dye Can Trigger IBS, Inflammation & Gut Dysbiosis
Probiotics for Detoxing Food Dyes & Additives Infographic
Ana Aleksic, MSc (Pharmacy)
Ana is an integrative pharmacist, scientist, and herbalist with many years of medical writing, clinical research, and health advising experience. She loves communicating science and empowering people to achieve their optimal health. Ana has edited 1000+ and written 400+ posts, some of which reached over 1 million people. She has also authored several ebooks and book chapters. Her specialties are natural remedies, drug-supplement interactions, women’s health, and mental health. She is also a birth doula and a strong advocate of bridging scientific knowledge with holistic medicine.
