Recent experimental research suggests that emulsifiers, common food additives, may have detrimental effects on gut microbiota and disrupt metabolism. A team of researchers has investigated the relationship between the risk of type 2 diabetes and exposure to food additive emulsifiers in a sizable prospective cohort study involving French individuals.

      The study evaluated data from 104,139 participants in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort, collected between May 1, 2009, and April 26, 2023. The mean age of participants was 42.7 years (SD 14.5), with a majority of 82,456 (79.2%) being female. Every six months, participants recorded their dietary intakes over three separate, non-consecutive days using 24-hour food records. Exposure to additive emulsifiers was assessed through various food composition databases and ad-hoc laboratory tests.

      Researchers employed multivariable proportional hazards Cox models, adjusted for known risk factors, to describe associations between cumulative time-dependent exposures to food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes. During the follow-up period (mean duration 6.8 years, SD 3.7), 1,056 participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

      The study found that higher intakes of certain emulsifiers were associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Notably, total carrageenans (hazard ratio [HR] 1.03 [95% CI 1.01–1.05] per increment of 100 mg per day, p<0.0001), carrageenans gum (E407; HR 1.03 [1.01–1.05] per increment of 100 mg per day, p<0.0001), tripotassium phosphate (E340; HR 1.15 [1.02–1.31] per increment of 500 mg per day, p=0.023), acetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglycerides and diglycerides of fatty acids (E472e; HR 1.04 [1.00–1.08] per increment of 100 mg per day, p=0.042), sodium citrate (E331; HR 1.04 [1.01–1.07] per increment of 500 mg per day, p=0.0080), guar gum (E412; HR 1.11 [1.06–1.17] per increment of 500 mg per day, p<0.0001), gum arabic (E414; HR 1.03 [1.01–1.05] per increment of 1000 mg per day, p=0.013), and xanthan gum (E415; HR 1.08 [1.02–1.14] per increment of 500 mg per day, p=0.013) were all linked to a heightened diabetes risk.

      The researchers concluded that there is a direct association between the risk of type 2 diabetes and exposures to various food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods. They called for further research to re-evaluate regulations governing the use of additive emulsifiers in the food industry to enhance consumer protection. The findings of this study were published in “The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology”.