Food supply toxicants and additives alter the gut microbiota and risk of metabolic disease

Metabolic disease is rising along with both global industrialization and the use of new commercial, agricultural, and industrial chemicals and food additives. Exposure to these compounds may contribute to aspects of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease. Ingesting compounds in the food supply is a key route of human exposure, resulting in the interaction between toxicants or additives and the intestinal microbiota. Toxicants can influence the composition and function of the gut microbiota, and these microbes can metabolize and transform toxicants and food additives. Microbe-toxicant interactions in the intestine can alter host mucosal barrier function, immunity, and metabolism, which may contribute to the risk or severity of metabolic disease development. Targeting the connection between toxicants, food, and immunity in the gut using strategies such as fermentable fiber (i.e., inulin) may mitigate some of the effects of these compounds on host metabolism. Understanding causative factors in the microbe-host relationship that promote toxicant-induced dysmetabolism is an important goal. This review highlights the role of common toxicants (i.e., persistent organic pollutants, pesticides, and fungicides) and food additives (emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners) found in our food supply that alter the gut microbiota and promote metabolic disease development.