In an era where convenience shapes much of what ends up on our plates, scientists are turning their focus to the substances that make ultra-processed foods taste better, last longer, and look more appealing. A new study published in PLOS Medicine now suggests that these chemical conveniences—specifically, certain combinations of widely used food additives—may be silently fueling the global surge in type 2 diabetes.
The findings stem from one of the most comprehensive nutritional datasets to date: nearly 109,000 adults tracked over 14 years through France’s NutriNet-Santé cohort. Researchers found that not just individual additives, but mixtures of commonly consumed additives were significantly associated with a heightened risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
“We’re entering a new phase in food safety,” said Dr. Mathilde Touvier, lead author and epidemiologist at Inserm and Université Paris Cité. “For too long, we’ve looked at these additives in isolation. But people consume them in combinations, and we’re now seeing that these interactions may carry real health consequences.”
Among the most concerning were two specific mixtures. One blend included emulsifiers like xanthan gum, guar gum, and carrageenan, plus preservatives such as potassium sorbate and the food dye curcumin. This group was commonly found in processed sauces, dairy-based desserts, and commercial broths.
A second mixture featured a cocktail of acidifiers, colorants like ammonia caramel, and artificial sweeteners including aspartame and sucralose—ingredients most heavily associated with diet sodas and sweetened beverages.
“These are not fringe ingredients,” said Marie Payen de la Garanderie, the study’s first author and a doctoral researcher in nutritional epidemiology. “They are part of the daily diet for millions.”
While regulators have long deemed these additives individually safe, the cumulative effect of their interactions has remained under-explored. This study is one of the first to show that these additive groupings may not be metabolically benign.
But not everyone agrees. The International Council of Beverages Associations pushed back strongly, calling the study’s conclusions speculative and lacking precision. “These ingredients have been rigorously tested and used safely for decades,” said ICBA’s executive director, Kate Loatman. “To suggest otherwise based on dietary recall and observational links is misleading.”
Still, public health advocates say the findings should spark a broader conversation about the modern diet and the rising global toll of type 2 diabetes, which now affects an estimated 830 million people worldwide.
Dr. Mir Ali, a bariatric surgeon at Orange Coast Medical Center in California, believes these results reinforce what clinicians have observed for years. “There’s no denying the parallel rise in processed food consumption and chronic metabolic disease,” he said. “This study helps pinpoint where that connection may be happening.”
So what can individuals do?
Monique Richard, a registered dietitian and nutrition educator, recommends going back to basics. “Shop the perimeter of your grocery store. Choose whole, unprocessed foods. Make simple meals from scratch,” she said. “If a product has a long ingredient list filled with things you can’t pronounce, that’s often your cue to put it back.”
Richard’s philosophy centers on clarity over fear. “It’s not about being perfect or paranoid,” she said. “It’s about knowing what’s in your food and making the best choices you can, most of the time.”
Her advice is echoed in a familiar sentiment: Do the best you can until you know better—then when you know better, do better.
As the science around food additives evolves, this study marks a key turning point—urging not only individual action but also industry-wide introspection. The future of food may lie in unlearning what convenience has taught us.