What happens when you leave a Drumstick ice cream cone out for 24 hours? It’s what doesn’t happen that’s surprising—the treat won’t fully melt, as a TikTok video recently demonstrated.
Part of the reason why is because of maltodextrin, an emulsifier that slows down the melting rate of ice cream. Emulsifiers can be found in everyday foods, from bread and butter to mayonnaise, and they’re not inherently bad. Some emulsifiers are even naturally occurring, like pectins in fruit. But some research that shows that food additive emulsifiers are linked to a higher risk of certain health diseases.
In particular, a recent study found a link between certain food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Here’s how emulsifiers might be impacting your health.
What Are Emulsifiers?
“Emulsifiers are chemicals that help to make substances that normally do not mix well together (e.g. oil and water) form into a stable mixture,” Bruce Blumberg, PhD, professor of developmental and cell biology at the University of California, Irvine, told Verywell. They’re used to thicken, stabilize, and preserve the shelf life of certain foods. For example, emulsifiers are commonly found in ice cream to allow water and fat content to stick together.
In the United States, emulsifiers fall under the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) category, a designation that a food additive is considered safe by experts when used as intended. The GRAS designation came to be after the Food Additives Amendment of 1958.
Several additives used prior to 1958 have been grandfathered into the GRAS category without having to meet any specific standards largely because they haven’t been linked to adverse outcomes.
Because of this, Blumberg says that “GRAS should not be taken to indicate safety. Rather, GRAS should be understood as generally recognized as untested, rather than safe.”
Emulsifiers and Type 2 Diabetes
New data about diabetes incidence is resurfacing concerns about the safety of certain food additive emulsifiers emulsifiers.
Using a cohort of more than 104,000 French participants between May 1, 2009, and April 26, 2023, researchers tracked participants’ dietary habits and emulsifier exposure (using food composition databases and lab tests) every six months. They found that after a 6.8-year follow-up, 1,056 participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. These participants tended to have more exposure to food additive emulsifiers over time.
Researchers observed that the intake of specific emulsifiers was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes:
Carrageenans: A food thickener derived from red seaweed that’s commonly found in beer, dairy, dairy-free, candy, high-protein products
Carrageenan gum: A thickening and food stabilizer derived from seaweed that’s commonly found in dairy, meat products, prepared foods, protein shakes, and protein powders
Tripotassium phosphate: A food additive that’s used to blend ingredients and is commonly found in processed foods, such as cheese, cereals, and baked goods
Monoglycerides and diglycerides: Emulsifiers derived from the processing of seed oils commonly found in ice cream, vegan butter, and baked goods
Gum arabic: An emulsifier and food stabilizer found in dairy products, beverages, candy, frosting, and seasoned nuts
Xanthan gum: A thickening agent commonly found in salad dressings, syrups, baked goods, dairy products, and low-fat spreads
Will Avoiding Emulsifiers Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes?
According to Megan Gerber, RD, LDN, IFNCP, CGN, a functional medicine gut health dietitian, added emulsifiers are typically found in ultra-processed foods in order to help products maintain creaminess and extend their shelf life. They’ve been linked to gut inflammation.
Prior research has shown that food additive emulsifiers can damage the protective mucus layer of the gut and increase the risk of a leaky gut. These changes can increase inflammation and impact the gut’s ability to metabolize nutrients and produce metabolites, which in turn affects the body’s sensitivity to insulin and its ability to metabolize glucose. This can lead to diabetes.
“Since the state of the microbiome directly affects metabolic health and diabetes risk, it’s no wonder these additives can take a significant toll,” Gerber said. She recommends people with and without diabetes avoid ultra-processed emulsified food as much as possible.
If you’re looking to be more mindful about your food additive emulsifier intake, consider:
Sticking to whole foods: Choose fresh foods like lean meat, vegetables, and fruits.
Read labels: Avoid ingredients ending in “-ate” or “-ose,” as well as monoglycerides, diglycerides, and lecithin. “Choose products that have simple ingredients versus paragraphs,” she added. “For example, an almond milk that contains just water and almonds is the goal,” Gerber said.
Limit intake of processed foods: Emulsifiers are often used to preserve shelf life, so avoid processed foods if you can. Think cereal, processed meats, packaged bread, snacks, condiments, and sweetened beverages.