Study links certain food additives to higher diabetes risk

Key Points:

• A major new study has found that two types of food additive mixtures commonly found in ultra-processed foods may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

• Additives in emulsifiers, sweeteners, acidifiers, and colorants were specifically implicated in the increased risk.

• Researchers say these additives are a modifiable risk factor, highlighting the need for better regulation and dietary awareness.

A groundbreaking study led by French public health researchers has found that certain combinations of food additives frequently consumed together in ultra-processed foods may significantly increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Published in PLOS Medicine, the study examined over 100,000 adults in the long-running NutriNet-Santé cohort, analyzing their food consumption and additive exposure over an average of 7.7 years.

The researchers identified five major groups of additive mixtures commonly found in the diet. Two of those five were strongly associated with a higher incidence of diabetes, regardless of the nutritional quality of participants’ diets or their lifestyle factors.

“This study is the first of its kind to explore the combined effects of food additives in a general population,” said Marie Payen de la Garanderie, lead author and PhD student at Inserm. “Our results suggest that mixtures of certain additives, rather than single substances alone, may be driving health risks.”

“Cocktail effect” 

The first harmful mixture included emulsifiers and stabilizers like modified starches, carrageenans, pectin, xanthan gum, as well as potassium sorbate and curcumin. These additives are commonly found in soups, sauces, processed desserts, and spreads.

The second mixture included additives most often found in artificially sweetened beverages, such as aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-K, plus citric acid, phosphoric acid, and colorants like sulphite ammonia caramel and paprika extract.

Researchers noted that while individual additives have been studied before, this is the first time their interactive effects as mixtures have been analyzed at this scale. Some additives may amplify or counteract each other’s impact in the body — a concept referred to as the “cocktail effect.”

Time to rethink additive safety?

While the study was observational and does not establish a direct causal link, it supports a growing body of research suggesting that frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods may contribute to metabolic disorders and chronic diseases.

“Our findings align with earlier experimental work showing that these additives may influence blood sugar regulation and inflammation,” said Dr. Mathilde Touvier, study coordinator and research director at Inserm. “They reinforce public health advice to limit unnecessary food additives.”

The authors urge regulatory agencies to begin assessing additives not just individually, but in the context of how they are consumed together. They also suggest consumers can reduce their risk by limiting ultra-processed food intake and reading ingredient labels more carefully.

As the global type 2 diabetes epidemic continues to rise, researchers say these additive mixtures could represent an overlooked and modifiable risk factor — one that warrants both further scientific scrutiny and stronger food policy action.