If you’ve ever skimmed the ingredient list of your favorite snacks or drinks, you’ve probably stumbled across a string of unfamiliar words — potassium polyphosphate, acesulfame-K, sulphite ammonia caramel, and more — that offer little insight into what you’re actually eating.
These food additives are used by manufacturers to boost flavor, texture, appearance, and shelf life. While many are naturally derived and individually tested for safety, recent research suggests that mixing multiple additives — as often happens in the preparation of processed foods — could lead to health risks that aren’t visible when looking at each ingredient by itself.
A new study led by scientists from institutions such as Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University set out to investigate just that: how mixtures of food additives commonly found in everyday products may contribute to type 2 diabetes, a ever-growing metabolic disease tied to Western diets.
