Maltodextrin

[ultra-processed-people] Mouse experiments show maltodextrin causes cellular stress, mucosal damage, intestinal inflammation, and suppressed immune response to bacteria — encouraging Salmonella and E. coli to form biofilms and penetrate gut mucus. Linked to rise in Crohn's disease and type 2 diabetes; may unmask latent genetic risk for inflammatory bowel disease in people who would otherwise never know they had it. Dana Small's experiments used tasteless maltodextrin to demonstrate that calorie reward without sweetness still trains flavour-wanting in humans — i.e. maltodextrin hijacks reward learning. [metabolical] Maltodextrin is a refined-starch polymer with a glycemic index higher than table sugar; it is rapidly hydrolyzed to glucose, spiking insulin and driving lipogenesis. Stripped of all fiber, it bypasses the duodenal protective gel that fiber would form and reaches the liver as a bolus. Linked to dysbiosis and proliferation of inflammatory gut bacteria.