Study Links Food Colouring Additives to 38% Higher Type 2 Diabetes Risk

2 articles · Updated · Medscape · May 28

108,723 French adults tracked for a median 8.05 years showed a 38% higher type 2 diabetes risk among high consumers of food colouring additives versus non- or low consumers.
1,131 participants developed type 2 diabetes, and the strongest associations were seen for caramel colourings—especially E150a and E150d—as well as beta-carotene E160a and several other carotenoid-based additives.
The analysis used repeated 24-hour dietary records tied to industrial food brands, with additive doses estimated from lab assays and regulatory databases and updated every two years.
Researchers said the findings support further long-term and experimental work on mechanisms and, if confirmed, could prompt a review of food-colouring rules for the food and beverage industry.
The Diabetes Care study also noted limits including possible residual confounding, dietary measurement errors and the fact that some EU-permitted additives were too rarely consumed for separate analysis.

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