The Role of Carboxymethylcellulose in Health and Disease: Is the Plot Thickening?

With great interest, we read the publication by Chassaing et al1 on the impact of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) on the gut microbiota and metabolome in healthy volunteers. The rise in chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases seems to be paralleled by increased consumption of ultraprocessed foods,2 and we applaud this well-designed effort to elucidate the role of CMC in human health. Nevertheless, a few points of consideration are needed when interpreting the results of emulsifier-targeted dietary studies.