Food Additive Mixtures May Raise Type 2 Diabetes Risk, New Study Finds
Processed foods under scrutiny
NATION — Can food additives increase a person’s type 2 diabetes risk? In certain combinations they can, a new study says. Stefania Pelfini, Past studies have linked certain food additives found in processed foods to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
Key findings from the latest research
A new study has found that two certain mixtures of common food additives can increase a person’s chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
Mixtures with a range of additives and preservatives, including aspartame, xanthan gum, and sucralose, were linked to increased diabetes risk.
Researchers estimate that about 830 million people globally live with diabetes, with 90% of those cases being type 2 diabetes.
Processed foods and diabetes prevalence
A diet consisting of mostly processed foods can increase a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes. A recent study published in March 2023 reported that 60% of packaged food and beverages sold in the U.S. contain food additives, including coloring, flavoring, non‑nutritive sweeteners, and preservatives.
Past studies have linked certain food additives to type 2 diabetes risk. For example, a study published in May 2024 found seven specific food additive emulsifiers found in ultra‑processed foods might increase risk for the condition. And a study published in July 2023 discovered a potential link between artificial sweeteners and heightened probability for type 2 diabetes.
New evidence from the NutriNet‑Santé cohort
Now, a new study recently published in the journal PLOS Medicine has found that two certain mixtures of common food additives can increase a person’s chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
Which food additive mixtures are problematic?
For this study, researchers analyzed nutritional data from almost 109,000 adults, with an average age of about 43, who participated in the French NutriNet‑Santé cohort between 2009 and 2023.
“In the past three decades the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has risen dramatically in most countries,” Mathilde Touvier, PhD, team leader of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team CRESS‑EREN at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm/Inrae/Cnam/Université Sorbonne Paris Nord/Université Paris Cité) in France and lead author of this study told Medical News Today.
“Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for several other chronic pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases. Diet represents one of the most important modifiable risk factors for this pathology.”
Scientists determined the types of food additives participants were exposed to through food composition databases and laboratory evaluations, as well as the mixtures of food additives they consumed.
“So far, research and safety evaluation of food additives has been conducted on a substance‑by‑substance basis, while in real life, food additive mixtures are consumed by billions of people globally,” Marie Payen de la Garanderie, PhD student on the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team CRESS‑EREN at Inserm and first author of the study, explained. “Some experimental studies have raised concerns about potential interactions between additives within mixtures and their potential impact on health … but human epidemiological data are lacking. This is why our objective was to identify the main mixtures of food additives and to study their associations with type 2 diabetes incidence.”
Mixtures linked to higher diabetes risk
At the end of the study, researchers identified two specific mixtures of food additives correlated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Mixture 1 featured emulsifier additives, including modified starches, pectin, guar gum, carrageenan, polyphosphates, and xanthan gum, as well as the preservative potassium sorbate and food dye curcumin. “Most of these food additives are markers of ultra‑processed foods … The food groups most correlated with one of the mixtures (mixture 2 in the study) were broth, dairy desserts, and fats and sauces,” Touvier explained.
- Mixture 2 included acidifiers and acid regulators such as citric acid, dyes like ammonia caramel, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose, and some emulsifiers. “The food groups most correlated with ‘mixture 5’ were artificially sweetened soft drinks and other drinks,” Payen de la Garanderie said.
“To our knowledge, this study is the first to estimate the exposure to food additive mixtures in a large population‑based cohort and investigate their link with type 2 diabetes incidence. These results suggest that food additives found in a wide variety of products and frequently consumed together may potentially represent a modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes prevention.” — Marie Payen de la Garanderie
“They also suggest that it may be of interest to consider potential interaction/synergistic/antagonist effects when assessing the safety of food additives and call for a re‑evaluation of regulations governing their use by the food industry, with the aim of enhancing consumer protection,” Touvier added. “They support public health recommendations to limit non‑essential additives.”
Expert perspectives and industry response
MNT spoke with Mir Ali, MD, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA:
“As society in general moves towards more processed foods and an increasing number of additives, it is important to understand how these additives can increase the risk for diabetes … What would be helpful is to identify foods with the combination of additives that increase the risk for diabetes, and looking at how eliminating these foods affects diabetes risk.”
The International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA) called the study’s results “misleading” and confusing for consumers.
“Decades of robust scientific evidence show these ingredients are safe. Suggesting that recipes—a combination of safe ingredients—are worrisome is simply absurd,” ICBA Executive Director Kate Loatman told MNT.
Practical tips to cut back on additives
As ultra‑processed foods now account for 50 % or more of caloric intake in high‑income countries, many people consume food additives daily. Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, owner of Nutrition‑In‑Sight, offers these suggestions:
- Lean on whole foods: Shop farmers markets or produce sections for vegetables, fruits, herbs, and dry beans. Choose bulk nuts and seeds.
- Simplify beverages: Opt for water, unsweetened tea, homemade lemonade, 100 % juice, or club soda with lemon and mint.
- Cook at home: Using whole‑food recipes limits synthetic fillers, enhancers, and preservatives. Flavor meals with spices and global seasonings.
“Awareness should not equate to obsessiveness, but the more you know, the clearer the choices become,” Richard says. “As Maya Angelou said, ‘Do the best you can until you know better—then when you know better, do better.’”
— Corrie Pelc
