Is Polysorbate 80 in Claussen Pickle Spear harmful upon consumption?

Claussen Spears is a brand of refrigerated dill pickles with a crunchy texture and tangy flavor. It is made from cucumbers that are cut into spear shapes and packed in vinegar, garlic, dill and various other ingredients. 

Recently, social media users raised their concern over an additive Polysorbate 80, used in Claussen Spears. As per the claim, Polysorbate 80 has negative health effects including gut health, anxiety etc. 

However, Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. Polysorbate 80 Claussen Spears is an approved ingredient and meets the safety standards. 

What’s the claim? 

A social media user wrote, “Polysorbate 80, a common emulsifier, that I recommend you avoid because its not really GRAS and has real potential negative health effects, including impacting gut health(read anxiety, depression and more), triggering inflammation, and possibly worsening gut permeability. Things you want to have are an intact blood brain barrier, and a diverse gut Microbiome. Things that will ruin that include… Polysorbate 80.”

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Fact Check- 

According to a study, polysorbate 80 (P80) affects brain health in aging. An experiment on mice by adding the substance in their drinking water for 12 weeks made mice’s memory and thinking problems worse. It also caused brain damage, including inflammation, protein buildup, and damage to the brain’s protective barrier.

P80 also changed the gut bacteria in harmful ways, especially increasing types that produce toxic bile acids like deoxycholic acid (DCA). This toxic substance was found in higher amounts in both the blood and brain of the mice. When gut bacteria from P80-treated mice were transferred to healthy mice, those mice also showed similar brain and gut damage.

According to the Code of Federal Regulations, Polysorbate 80 is one of the many synthetic additives which is allowed to be used in foods. But there are some guidelines like, it must be used in the smallest amount necessary to achieve the desired flavor effect and must comply with good manufacturing practices. It can include one or more substances which have been categorized as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), which must be prior-sanctioned for such use. 

FDA also approved Polysorbate 80 to be used as color or coloring adjunct, emulsifier or as emulsifier salt, flavor enhancer, flavoring agent, solvent, stabilizer thickener etc. You can read the detailed reports here.

Food Standard Agency, UK had also listed Polysorbate 80 as approved emulsifiers, stabilisers, thickeners and gelling agents. 

In another study with rats, it was found that polysorbate 60 caused diarrhea at high doses, and the safe dose for rats was determined to be 2% in their diet per day. For humans, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of polysorbates 20, 60, 65, and 80 is set at 10 mg per kg of body weight per day.. When ingested, polysorbates are broken down in the digestive system. The fatty components are absorbed and processed like regular fats, polysorbates are poorly absorbed and mostly excreted in the feces and urine. After 24 hours observation, a little amount of the substance remains in the body, and there is no evidence of it accumulating in sensitive organs. The study concluded that polysorbates are safely metabolized and eliminated from the body.

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be misleading. Although studies in mice showed that polysorbate 80 can lead to serious gut inflammation, members of the food safety commission found the substance to be safe when consumed within the acceptable daily intake (ADI) value.