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RESEARCHERS have linked popular drinks and snacks to type 2 diabetes, saying they contain key ingredients that could increase your risk of the condition. Dairy-based desserts and sugar-free fizzy drinks were among the items flagged. 2 Additive mixtures contained in sugar-free fizzy drinks could be linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes Credit: Getty It's not rare for foods and drinks to contain additives like sweeteners, preservatives and emulsifiers - especially if they're ultra-processed .
Unlike unprocessed foods that haven't been altered from their natural state - such as fruit and veg - ultra processed foods (UPFs) typically contain several ingredients and additives you wouldn't use in home cooking . Previous research and safety evaluations have focused on isolated ingredients, but UPFs often contain a mixture of additives with different properties. French researchers set out to determine how consuming blends of common food and drink additives - rather than single ingredients - may affect health due to the way they interact with each other.
Read more on diabetes CHEESED OFF The type of cheese you eat could be increasing your type 2 diabetes risk WEIGHT OFF Fat jabs like Ozempic and Mounjaro could ‘slash risk of UK’s biggest killer’ They examined five common additive mixtures and found that two were possibly linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes either can't make enough of a hormone called insulin or the insulin their body does make doesn't work properly, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Over time, high blood sugar levels can cause other health problems like heart attacks and strokes, as well as problems with your eyes, kidneys, and feet.
The first mixture researchers flagged is commonly found in stocks, milky desserts, fats and sauces and contains different emulsifiers such as carrageenans and modified starches, as well as other additives. Most read in Health CLOCK ON Night shift work decimates heart health - but simple meal trick lowers risk HIGH & DRY Saharan dust alert as satellite pic shows hazy cloud over UK posing health risk SPEEDY SPREAD ‘Rat fever’ kills 122 and ‘infects 3700' as people urged to 'stay at home' WORLD SHATTERING Bonnie’s ‘broken arm’ was killer cancer - she has less than a year to live The second was a blend of sweeteners, colourings and acidifiers often found in artificially-sweetened sodas and sugary drinks. But the study authors - from the Sorbonne and Paris Cité University - noted that their research was observational.
40 Day Health Challenge GP Dr Sumi Dunne on signs and symptoms of diabetes to watch out for This meant they couldn't show that additive mixtures cause diabetes, just that there's a link between the two. First author Marie Payen de la Garanderie said: "This study is the first to estimate exposure to food additive mixtures in a large cohort of the general population and to analyse their link to the incidence of type 2 diabetes. "The findings suggest that several emblematic additives present in many products are often consumed together and that certain mixtures are associated with a higher risk of this disease.
"These substances may therefore represent a modifiable risk factor, paving the way for strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes." 11 little known signs and risk factors for type 2 diabetes Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include: 1. peeing more than usual 2.
feeling thirsty all the time 3. feeling very tired 4. losing weight without trying to 5.
itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush 6. cuts or wounds taking longer to heal 7. blurred vision You're more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you: 8.
are over 40 years old, or over 25 if you're from an Asian, Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background 9. have a close relative with diabetes (such as a parent, brother or sister) 10. are overweight or living with obesity or are not very physically active 11.
are from an Asian, Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background Source: The NHS The research team analysed the health data of 108 643 adults collected over a period of about 8 eight years. Participants were asked to submit online dietary records of food and drink they consumed and what brands these were. Taking into account the date these foods were eaten, researchers cross referenced several databases to determine the additives included in foods, and they focused on mixtures consumed by at least 5 per cent of the study pool .
The authors identified five main mixtures of additives, frequently ingested together because they were contained in the same ingredient or because of popular food combos. The results, published in the journal PLOS ONE , showed that two of these mixtures were associated with a small increase in incidence of type 2 diabetes, regardless of how much sugar, calories, fibre and saturated fat participants consumed. Mixture one was linked to an 8 per cent increase in risk of type two diabetes and contained several emulsifiers - modified starches, pectin, guar gum, carrageenans, polyphosphates, xanthan gum - the preservative potassium sorbate and colouring agent curcumin.
These additives are typically found in stocks, milky desserts, fats and sauces. Mixture two was associated with a 13 per cent increase in risk and mostly contained additives found in artificially-sweetened drinks and sodas. This included: Acidifiers and acidity regulators - such as citric acid, sodium citrates, phosphoric acid, malic acid Colouring agents - sulphite ammonia caramel, anthocyanins,paprika extract Sweeteners - acesulfame-K, aspartame , sucralose Emulsifiers - gum arabic, pectin, guar gum Coating agent carnauba wax Dr Nerys Astbury, associate professor of diet and obesity at the University of Oxford - who was not involved in the research - said: “It is important to note that by design this study can only demonstrate association, it cannot say whether the consumption of these additives (or the foods that contain then) caused or contributed to the development of type 2 diabetes.
"To determine causality large scale complex clinical trials are required. “The growing interest in the effects of consuming ultra-processed foods, which contain additives to enhance taste, flavour, texture and improve shelf life of food products, means this study is important and timely and adds to the growing body of evidence of association between increased consumption of common food additives and adverse health outcomes. "Further research is needed to ascertain a causal link and establish the mechanisms.
” 2 Previous research has linked UPFs to 32 illnesses Previous research has suggested that high consumption of UPFs could heighten the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And a study published in 2024 linked junk food to 32 illnesses , including obesity, cancer, heart issues and diabetes. Dr George Savva, a senior Research Scientist at Quadram Institute also noted that "it is possible that other factors led to higher risk of diabetes".
And Prof Oliver Jones, a professor of chemistry at RMIT University, added: “I can see this paper leading to more scary headlines about food additives, but although the work is based on a large dataset, we need to be careful about what conclusions are drawn from it. “As the authors themselves clearly state, the study does not prove that food additives cause diabetes. "All that is reported are slight associations between certain mixtures of some additives and the likelihood of type 2 diabetes, and there are some large caveats to this.
“Firstly, an association between two factors does not mean one caused the other; it just means there appears to be an association between them. “Secondly, the authors didn’t measure food additive intake directly. "They relied on self-reporting of food intake from study participants and then estimated the additive intake from this.
This is a reasonable approach, but self-reported data is often inaccurate. Read more on the Scottish Sun GONE BUST All staff axed after 40-year-old Scottish firm collapses FAN ASSAULT Grandad Celtic fan battered by 'Green Brigade ultras over pro-Israel badge' “So, whilst this is an interesting theoretical study, people should not worry. "In the end, all that can really be said is that, based on self-reported data and estimations of possible food additive consumption and health conditions, there is a possible, small association between two specific mixtures of additives and the likelihood of type 2 diabetes, and the error bars are pretty big on even this conclusion.
” How to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes According to Diabetes UK, there are a few diet tweaks you can make to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes: Choose drinks without added sugar - skip out the sugar in your tea and coffee and stay away from fizzy and energy drinks Eat whole grains such as brown rice, wholewheat pasta, wholemeal flour, wholegrain bread and oats instead of refined carbs Cut down on red and processed meat like bacon, ham, sausages, pork, beef and lamb Eat plenty of fruit and veg - apples, grapes, berries, and green leafy veg such as spinach, kale, watercress, and rocket have been associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes Have unsweetened yoghurt and cheese Cut down on booze - and have a few days a week with none at all Have healthy snacks like unsweetened yoghurt, unsalted nuts, seeds and fruit and veg Eat healthy fats included in nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil Cut down on salt Get your vitamins and minerals from food instead of tablets.
