In this article I am going to talk about cellulose, why it is in dietary supplements and food products. I’m going to share what really does plus the benefits and the negatives.
In the plant world, cellulose provides strength to cell walls. It is a carbohydrate and some animals can digest it, but humans cannot.
What this means is that it is a fiber. For some people it is difficult to understand how something that we cannot digest can be so good for us. I’m sure you know that fiber is healthy, right?
It helps with weight loss by making you feel full, helps with digestion, lowers blood sugar, cholesterol, and more.
Still, most people don’t get enough fiber. WebMD recommends that adults consume around 30 grams per day. Some people estimate that the average person in the US consumes 15 grams a day.
Adding cellulose to foods increases the fiber content without changing the taste or flavor.
Another reason it is added is to bulk up foods, but not to increase calories. Of course, sometimes they add sugar and that’s different. When you see diet foods, there is a good chance that they contain cellulose.
Another great use is to thicken a liquid, like a sauce. For example, do you like watery spaghetti sauce? No and can be used to thicken spaghetti sauce as well as other sauces.
It can be used in ice cream to thicken it, as well as in whipped cream.
At this point, you may be wondering why it is in dietary supplements. It can be used to combine vitamins and increase the volume of some that are liquid. It can be used to facilitate swallowing. Of course, considering the size of some supplement pills, maybe they’re adding too much cellulose, right?
It can also be used to protect nutrients just like it protects plant cells. We have some crazy stuff floating around in the air and when the air comes into contact with vitamins or herbal ingredients it can degrade their quality.
This is one of the reasons that liquid supplements are generally not as good. Some companies market liquid supplements that are better for absorption.
Based on consumer reports, this is not true, and based on various tests, absorption rates are the same for liquid supplements and pills.
Another downside to liquid supplements is that they can’t be enteric coated and stomach acid destroys a lot of things.
Let’s talk about the negatives. The biggest risk of consuming cellulose really comes down to eating too much.
Signs of this can be constipation, having a lot of gas, feeling bloated, being dehydrated from absorbing water, and ironically, you could have diarrhea and even weight gain.