Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a box of macaroni and cheese or a can of stew and take a look at the label.

Sandwiched between expected words like “beef” and “cheese,” you’ll likely see a long list of unfamiliar words that defy pronunciation. These are all chemical additives of some kind.

For products that are supposed to be food, there isn’t a lot of “food” in them!

We’ve sounded the alarm before about these “ultra-processed” foods and the additives they contain. Studies indicate some may trigger inflammatory bowel disease, dementia and metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms that include obesity, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Now we’re finding a specific type of additive is a potential cause of a common health problem on the rise…

Watch out for emulsifiers

Emulsifiers are chemicals added to food to help blend oil and water, which separate under normal circumstances. Emulsifiers help keep ultra-processed foods smooth, soft and creamy and extend their shelf life. Foods that contain emulsifiers include mayonnaise, ice cream, peanut butter, margarine, processed meats and bread.

As foods containing emulsifiers have become staples in Western diets, scientists have begun examining the impact these chemicals are having on people’s health.

Researchers from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) team analyzed data from an ongoing national survey, the French NutriNet-Santé cohort. They examined the dietary entries of 104,139 adults who were an average of 42.7 years old most of whom (79 percent) were women.

Over the 14-year study time frame, 1,059 cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed among the participants. The team compared these cases to the diets of the participants using a model that accounted for other diabetes risk factors, including age, weight and family history.

After an average follow-up of seven years, the researchers found chronic intake of the following emulsifiers was linked with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes:

• Carrageenans: 3 percent increased risk per increment of 100 mg per day
• Gum arabic: 3 percent increased risk per increment of 1,000 mg per day
• Mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids: 4 percent increased risk per increment of 100 mg per day
• Sodium citrate: 4 percent increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day
• Xanthan gum: 8 percent increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day
• Guar gum: 11 percent increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day
• Tripotassium phosphate: 15 percent increased risk per increment of 500 mg per day

The study had limitations, such as no causational proof and under-representation of men. Still, the authors say their findings are robust and add to a growing body of evidence that ultra-processed foods raise type 2 diabetes risk, and that regulations around the use of these additives should be re-evaluated.

Where you’ll find emulsifiers

If you eat primarily processed or especially ultraprocessed food chances are you could easily meet or exceed the increments listed above.

For example in the Western diet, the average daily intake of carrageenan is estimated around 250 mg/day.

It’s found in ice cream, pudding, sandwich meats, soymilk, yogurt, infant formula, dietetic beverages, canned soups and broths, low-fat salad dressings, frozen pizza, cottage cheese, sour cream and more.

I couldn’t find details about just how plentiful emulsifiers are in the US food market, but we know they are. But in the U.K., they report that 37.5 percent to as much as 51.7 percent of food products contained them. Emulsifiers were found in 95 percent of pastries, buns and cakes.

So when you cake, stick to food that looks like it’s original source or look for less processed foods.

Sources:

Food Emulsifiers Linked to Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk — Technology Networks

Food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes: analysis of data from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study — The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology

Expert reaction to study looking at emulsifiers and type 2 diabetes — Science Media Centre