Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Pancreas inflammation⁸

  In animal studies, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose made pancreas inflammation worse by changing gut bacteria.

• Concern

  Gut barrier and bacteria⁹

  In lab studies, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose changed gut bacteria and weakened the gut lining.

• Concern

  Gut inflammation in mice¹⁰

  In mice, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose made gut inflammation worse than water, without changing gut bacteria.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Food allergy risk³

  A woman had a severe allergic reaction to carboxymethylcellulose, also called E466, in a hot chocolate drink.

• Severe allergic reactions to food⁴

  A girl had repeated severe allergic reactions, and carboxymethylcellulose in foods like ice lollies was the common trigger.

How it’s made and used

• Allergic reactions to food additives²

  In one person allergic to sodium carboxy methyl cellulose, eating it was fine but nasal use caused asthma and rhinitis.

• Fat replacers in dairy drinks⁵

  In dairy drinks with carboxymethyl cellulose, tasters could tell samples apart by colour and thickness.

• Gut bacteria and digestion⁶

  Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose passes through undigested, and gut bacteria can break it down in animals and people.

• Sugar-reduced bread quality⁷

  In tests, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose with other ingredients made sugar-reduced bread softer, larger and more like full-sugar bread.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1989

  No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).