New health warning about common additives in ultra-processed foods

Common food additives found in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, a French study has found.

Emulsifiers, referred to by a set of “E numbers,” are used as additives to preserve and give texture to cakes, ice cream, mayonnaise and even bread.

In the study, researchers analyzed the diets of more than 100,000 adults.

Over an average follow-up of 7 years, 1,056 volunteers were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

After taking into account other risk factors such as obesity and smoking, the researchers said that 7 groups of emulsions are linked to type 2 diabetes, as every 500 mg of tripotassium phosphate (E340), consumed daily, is associated with a 15% increased risk of developing the disease.

The risk of developing diabetes also increased with consumption of both E412 and E415, which can be found in cheese and salad dressings.

“These results cannot be used alone to establish a causal relationship,” said co-researchers Dr. Mathilde Touvier, Director of Research at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, and Dr. Bernard Sorour, Epidemiologist at INRAE. “However, our results represent essential elements to enrich the debate on "Re-evaluate regulations regarding the use of additives in the food industry, in order to better protect consumers."

The researchers said the study raises "concerns about the need to review the acceptable daily intake for many food additives, including emulsifiers."

However, some critics have said that this study is not entirely valid, as it is only observational. Dozens of other factors could have influenced the results, which were published in a journal owned by The Lancet.

Dr Sarah Berry, a nutritional sciences expert at King's College London, said: 'This type of large-scale study is a vital part of the scientific process. However, these studies cannot prove that emulsifiers cause type 2 diabetes.'

Dr Duane Mellor, a nutritionist at Aston University, said: 'What this study does not fully take into account is the difference in how the human body processes and manages emulsions.