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(IANS)
A new study has shown that food additives added to food to maintain flavour or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory properties, are associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
According to the study published in the journal PLOS Medicine, nitrites and nitrates are chemical compounds used as food additives to increase shelf life. At the same time, researchers suggest a link between dietary exposure to nitrites and the risk of type-2 diabetes.
To investigate the relationship between dietary exposure to nitrites/nitrates and type-2 diabetes risk, researchers accessed data collected from 1,04,168 participants in the prospective cohort NutriNet-Sante.
The researchers analysed self-reported diet information with health outcomes using detailed nitrite/nitrate exposure derived from multiple databases and sources.
The researchers discovered that participants in the NutriNet-Sante cohort who reported a higher intake of nitrites overall, specifically from food additives and non-additive sources, had a higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes.
“This is the first large-scale cohort study to suggest a direct association between additives-originated nitrites and type-2 diabetes risk. It also corroborates previously suggested associations between total dietary nitrites and T2D risk,” said the study authors.
The cohort included a greater number of younger individuals, more often women, who exhibited healthier behaviour.
“These results provide a new piece of evidence in the context of current discussions regarding the need for a reduction of nitrite additives’ use in processed meats by the food industry, and could support the need for better regulation of soil contamination by fertilisers,” the authors added.
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The above article has been published from a wire source with minimal modifications to the headline and text.
