The consumption of certain food additive emulsifiers could be associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. An increasing number of epidemiological studies suggest a link between higher consumption levels of ultra-processed foods with higher risks of diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
The participants completed at least two days of dietary records, collecting detailed information on all foods and drinks consumed and their commercial brands . These dietary records were repeated every six months for 14 years, and were matched against databases in order to identify the presence and amount of food additives in the products consumed.
This study constitutes an initial exploration of these relationships, and further investigations are now needed to establish causal links. The researchers mentioned several limitations of their study, such as the predominance of women in the sample, a higher level of education than the general population, and generally more health-promoting behaviors among the NutriNet-Santé study participants. Therefore caution is needed when extrapolating the conclusions to the entire French population.