Emulsifiers used in processed foods, or additives that make some foods like mayonnaise creamy, might cause people to overeat, making them fatter and more prone to obesity-related diseases.

Emulsifiers are ingredients used in processed foods to help make them creamy and keep them mixed. Common examples of emulsifiers are egg yolks, mustard and soy lechitin (used in chocolates). Some emulsifiers used in foods, however, have a chemical structure similar to detergent.

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Researchers said the use of emulsifiers in processed foods is helping make people fatter, and more prone to obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

It turns out emulsifiers disrupt the balance of "good" germs in the stomach, promoting the inflammatory processes that cause obesity-linked diseases such as diabetes, said researchers Andrew Gewirtz and Benoit Chassaing of Georgia State University. Both men found evidence that some commercial emulsifiers might mess up the balance

"A key feature of these modern plagues is alteration of the gut microbiota in a manner that promotes inflammation", Gerwitz reported.

Emulsifiers might even help cause people to overeat in the first place. Both researchers believe emulsifiers can disrupt the mucus that lines the gut. This can cause inflammation and might allow "good" germs to leak out.

Gewirtz said some studies suggest different populations of gut microbes can affect appetite.

"We do not disagree with the commonly held assumption that over-eating is a central cause of obesity and metabolic syndrome," he said.

"Rather, our findings reinforce the concept suggested by earlier work that low-grade inflammation resulting from an altered microbiota can be an underlying cause of excess eating".