Figure 1.

Food additives, gut microbiota, and irritable bowel syndrome (non-exhaustive list of food additives). Abbreviations: E171, titanium dioxide; E202, potassium sorbate; E211, sodium benzoate; E251, sodium nitrate; E420, sorbitol; E433, polysorbate 80; E466, carboxymethyl cellulose; E481, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate; E950, acesulfame potassium; E951, aspartame; E954, saccharin; E955, sucralose; E961, neotame; E965, maltitol; E966, lactitol; LCN2, lipocalin-2; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; LPS, lipopolysaccharides; Mucin-2, oligomeric mucus gel-forming protein encoded by the MUC2 gene; NFκB, nuclear factor-kappa B; PAMPs, pathogen associated molecular patterns; Reg T cells, regulatory T cells; TNF, tumor necrosis factor.