Almond milk is one of the most popular types of non-dairy milk alternatives, but it gets a bad rap in some circles. One claim I’ve seen floating around the internet is that common ingredients in almond milk, such as emulsifiers, can cause inflammation.
Is there any truth to this? Does almond milk cause inflammation?
As a registered dietitian, I’ll discuss the relationship between diet and inflammation and do a deep dive into common almond milk formulations to provide an evidence-based answer to this question. No fear-mongering here!
What is inflammation?
Before we get into the answer, we need to be on the same page about what “inflammation” even means.
Inflammation is a natural process triggered by the presence of an injury or infection within the body. Inflammation must occur in order for the immune system to properly fight off pathogens. If you’ve ever had a cut become red and swollen, that’s the result of white blood cells (immune cells) flooding the area. This can’t happen without an inflammatory response.
It’s important, however, to distinguish between two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation refers to the process I described above. It’s a short-term response that continues until a foreign pathogen is killed or until a wound is healed.
Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, happens over a longer period of time, potentially even months or years. This type of inflammation is associated with the development of chronic diseases and is referred to when discussing how to reduce inflammation with diet and lifestyle.
Chronic inflammation is usually multifactorial and is associated with a variety of issues, such as:
- Exposure to environmental pollutants like cigarette smoke
- Diets high in saturated fat
- Diets low in antioxidants and dietary fiber
- Physical inactivity
- Excess body fat around your abdomen (known as “visceral fat”)
- Free radical production within the body
- Poor mental health
This chronic, low-grade inflammation can be measured by testing the blood for compounds that naturally increase when inflammation is present. A few commonly tested inflammatory biomarkers include:
- Acute phase proteins: Proteins in the blood that increase in response to inflammation, infection, or injury. Examples include C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A, fibrinogen, and procalcitonin.
- Cytokines: Small proteins released by immune cells. Examples include TNFα, interleukins 1β, 6, 8, 10 and 12, and IFNγ.
RELATED: Does Almond Milk Make You Constipated?
Does almond milk cause inflammation?
It’s important to remember that no one food causes inflammation in all people. The development of chronic inflammation is a complicated process and almond milk alone is unlikely to cause inflammation in the absence of other contributing factors, such as a nutrient-poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, insulin resistance, or chronic stress.
That said, we can take a closer look at the ingredients in almond milk to see whether they might contribute to inflammation.
Homemade almond milk
In its most basic form, almond milk is made simply by blending almonds with water and straining out the solids.
Nuts are rich sources of healthy fats and antioxidants, so there’s no reason to think that the consumption of basic almond milk would significantly increase inflammation levels in the body.
Store-bought almond milk
What about store-bought almond milk with additional ingredients and food additives?
Let’s take a look at the ingredients list of Silk Original Almondmilk as an example:
Almondmilk (Filtered Water, Almonds), Cane Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of: Vitamin and Mineral Blend (Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Acetate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2), Sea Salt, Gellan Gum, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C To Protect Freshness), Natural Flavor.
As you can see, this almond milk is sweetened with cane sugar, fortified with vitamins and minerals, and contains gellan gum (an emulsifier), ascorbic acid, and natural flavors.
Almond Breeze Original Almondmilk is similar, with the addition of sunflower lecithin:
Almondmilk (Filtered Water, Almonds), Cane Sugar, Calcium Carbonate, Sea Salt, Potassium Citrate, Sunflower Lecithin, Gellan Gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2, D-Alpha-Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E).
Are any of these ingredients inflammatory? Let’s go through some of them:
Cane sugar – Diets high in added sugars have been linked to the development of chronic inflammation1, mainly in relation to the increased risk for chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity. Both almond milk brands listed above contain 7 grams of added sugars per cup. This isn’t a high amount, but it could contribute to inflammation indirectly IF your overall diet is too high in added sugars. If not, the small amount of added sugars in a cup of almond milk is unlikely to cause inflammation on its own.
Gellan gum – Gellan gum is a dietary fiber that acts as an emulsifier and thickener, improving the consistency of almond milk. Some people worry that gellan gum causes inflammation in the gut, but there is no evidence2 that this gum causes inflammation or any other negative effects in humans when consumed in the small amounts found in food.
Ascorbic acid – This is another name for vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant found in some fruits and vegetables. It’s added to almond milk to keep it fresh. As an antioxidant, ascorbic acid helps fight oxidative damage and reduce inflammation in the body.
Sunflower lecithin – Sunflower lecithin is a naturally occurring fatty substance derived from sunflower seeds. Like gellan gum, it acts as an emulsifier and is not associated with inflammation when consumed in normal amounts found in food.
In my opinion, the ingredient with the largest potential to contribute to chronic inflammation is cane sugar, but only if you’re getting too many added sugars in your diet as a whole. Fortunately, unsweetened almond milk is an easy swap.
RELATED: Sunflower Lecithin vs Soy Lecithin: How Do They Compare?
Potential anti-inflammatory benefits of almond milk
One consideration I don’t think gets nearly enough attention is how almond milk may help lower inflammation in the body. Let’s discuss some of its potential anti-inflammatory benefits:
- Vitamin A – Most store-bought almond milk is fortified with vitamin A. Known for its role in supporting eye health, vitamin A is also an indirect antioxidant3 which supports the body’s overall ability to fight oxidative stress.
- Vitamin E – Fortified almond milk is also a rich source of vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that prevents fats in the blood from becoming oxidized (damaged) and helps prevent chronic inflammation.
- Polyphenols – Polyphenols are natural compounds found in plants that reduce inflammation in the gut by acting as prebiotics. According to a 2021 study4, almond milk is rich in polyphenols. It was shown to contain more polyphenols than oat milk, although not quite as much as hemp or quinoa milk. The researchers made their own plant milks, however, so it isn’t clear whether these results translate directly to commercially produced, heat-treated almond milk.
- Additional antioxidant activity – The same study4 found that unfortified almond milk has enough antioxidant properties to fight free radicals, damaging compounds that lead to oxidative stress and inflammation. Here, almond milk actually outperformed hemp and oat milk.
RELATED: The 16 Best Vegan Brain Foods
Final thoughts
There’s been a lot of hate surrounding almond milk and fears about it causing inflammation, but don’t let this misinformation deter you from drinking almond milk if you really enjoy it.
None of the emulsifiers or other food additives used in almond milk have been linked to chronic inflammation in humans, especially not when consumed in the small amounts found in processed foods.
Choosing unsweetened almond milk can help you avoid consuming too many added sugars and maintain good metabolic health. That said, drinking a cup of sweetened almond milk in the context of a nutrient-dense, balanced diet low in total added sugars won’t cause inflammation on its own.
What matters much more than any one food is your overall lifestyle. Eating a nutrient-dense, plant-based diet, being physically active, managing physical, mental, and emotional stress, strengthening your spiritual health, not smoking, and limiting alcohol (or enjoying it in moderation) are all important for preventing chronic inflammation.
To learn more about what to consider when choosing a non-dairy milk, read A Vegan Dietitian’s Guide to Non-Dairy Milk.
The scientific information in this article was accurate at the time of publishing but may change over time as new research becomes available.
References
- Ma X, Nan F, Liang H, et al. Excessive intake of sugar: An accomplice of inflammation. Front Immunol. 2022;13:988481. Published 2022 Aug 31. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.988481
- EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS), Younes M, Aggett P, et al. Re-evaluation of gellan gum (E 418) as food additive. EFSA J. 2018;16(6):e05296. Published 2018 Jun 20. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5296
- Blaner WS, Shmarakov IO, Traber MG. Vitamin A and Vitamin E: Will the Real Antioxidant Please Stand Up?. Annu Rev Nutr. 2021;41:105-131. doi:10.1146/annurev-nutr-082018-124228
- Jemma MB, Gamra R, Falleh H, Ksouri R, Beji RS. Plant-based milk alternative: nutritional profiling, physical characterization and sensorial assessment. CUPMAP. 2021; 4(2):108-120. Doi:10.38093/cupmap.1037118
