Study Links Additive Clusters in Ultraprocessed Foods to Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Nearly 70% of packaged foods on American grocery shelves are classified as ultraprocessed — made with industrial additives that improve flavor, texture, shelf life, and appearance. While health experts have long questioned the safety of such ingredients, most studies have only focused on the risks of individual additives. However, recent research suggests that when these additives are consumed in clusters — as they often are — they may pose a greater threat, particularly increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The new study, published in PLOS Medicine, analyzed data from over 108,000 adults involved in France’s long-running NutriNet-Santé study, which explores nutrition and health outcomes. Researchers identified combinations of food additives that appeared frequently across commonly consumed ultraprocessed products and tracked their association with new cases of type 2 diabetes.
Using a global food ingredient database, researchers matched brand-specific consumption data with additive content. Instead of analyzing each additive in isolation, they allowed the data to reveal five common groupings of additives consumed together. Of these five, two clusters showed a notable correlation with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes — even when accounting for overall diet quality and lifestyle factors.
One of the clusters linked to increased risk included additives such as modified starches, xanthan gum, pectin, polyphosphates, guar gum, and potassium sorbate — typically found in dairy-based desserts, processed sauces, and broths. While ingredients like xanthan and guar gum are generally considered safe in small amounts, their repeated presence in various products raises questions about their cumulative effects, particularly on gut health and inflammation.
Another concerning cluster included artificial sweeteners and acid regulators like aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), citric acid, and phosphoric acid. These ingredients are frequently found in diet sodas, flavored drinks, and sweetened yogurts. Though individually approved for consumption, their combined long-term impact may contribute to disruptions in metabolic health, the study suggests.
Dr. Mathilde Touvier, one of the lead researchers, noted that food manufacturers often rely on the same groups of additives across product lines because of their functional synergy — such as emulsifiers to blend ingredients or sweeteners to cut calories. Yet consumers rarely eat just one product containing additives — meals often combine multiple ultraprocessed items, compounding the chemical intake.
The research team controlled for factors such as sugar and fat intake, age, weight, and physical activity, emphasizing that the increased risk was associated with the additive combinations themselves, not just the overall diet.
While the food industry defends the safety of these ingredients based on decades of approval, experts argue that regulations are outdated. Most current policies assess food additives in isolation rather than how they interact in real-world dietary patterns.
Nutrition scientist Elizabeth Dunford, who was not involved in the study, highlighted concerns around phosphate-based additives and their links to kidney dysfunction and diabetes. She called the findings “an important first step” in understanding how combined chemical exposure from food can affect chronic disease risk.
Researchers agree that further investigation is needed, but the study adds weight to growing concerns about the health risks associated with ultraprocessed foods — not only because of their high sugar and fat content, but because of the clusters of industrial additives they contain.
