A study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests an association between food-additive emulsifiers and Type-2 diabetes risk. Emulsifiers are commonly added to a range of processed and packaged foods such as biscuits and desserts, yogurts, ice creams, chocolate bars, margarine, and ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat meals, in order to improve the taste and texture, boost appeal, and prolong the shelf life of food products.
In continents like Europe and North America, ultra-processed foods constitute 30 to 60% of dietary energy intake in adults. Many epidemiological studies suggest a link between higher consumption levels of ultra-processed foods with higher risks of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Based on previous data, emulsifiers have been connected to prostate and breast malignancies.
A few recent studies have already pointed out that emulsifiers may disrupt the gut microbiota increase the risk of inflammation and cause metabolic disruption, potentially leading to insulin resistance and the development of diabetes.
For the first time, a team of researchers from France’s INRAE- National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, has studied the relationships between the dietary intakes of emulsifiers and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in a large study, assessed over a follow-up period of maximum 14 years. They analyzed the dietary and health data of 104, 139 adults and specifically evaluated their consumption of the food additive through dietary surveys conducted every six months.
During follow-up, they diagnosed around 1056 participants with diabetes which was observed to result from chronic exposure to the following emulsifiers-
carrageenans (total carrageenans and E407; 3% increased risk per increment of 100 mg per day)
tripotassium phosphate (E340; 15% increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day)
mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E472e; 4% increased risk per increment of 100 mg per day)
sodium citrate (E331; 4% increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day)
guar gum (E412; 11% increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day)
gum arabic (E414; 3% increased risk per increment of 1000 mg per day)
xanthan gum (E415; 8% increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day)
There are several limitations to this study, such as the predominance of women in the sample, a higher level of education than the general population, and generally more health-promoting behaviors among the study participants. Nevertheless, this study constitutes an initial exploration of these relationships, and further investigations are now needed to establish causal links.
"These findings are issued from a single observational study for the moment, and cannot be used on their own to establish a causal relationship. They need to be replicated in other epidemiological studies worldwide and supplemented with toxicological and interventional experimental studies, to further inform the mechanisms linking these food additive emulsifiers and the onset of type 2 diabetes,"
Mathilde Touvier, Research Director, and Bernard Srour, Junior Professor, INRAE
In the upcoming phases, the research team will be looking at variations in certain blood markers and the gut microbiota related to the consumption of these additives, to better understand the underlying mechanisms.
Source:
INRAE - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment
Journal reference:
Clara Salame et al. Food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes: analysis of data from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (2024)
(Rehash/ Dr. Vineesha V/MSM)
