(NaturalHealth365) We’ve reported many times on how harmful food additives can be to your health.  Now, a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine is shedding a harsh light on yet another food additive shown to induce insulin resistance in both rodent and human models.

By the way: if the term “insulin resistance” isn’t ringing a bell, recall that this is one of the main mechanisms of type two diabetes – a chronic illness hallmarked by poor blood sugar control and one that dramatically increases your risk for other serious health problems like, heart disease.

Common food additive in baked goods make it harder to control blood sugar levels

The researchers of the above-mentioned study ran a small trial involving 14 lean and healthy adult human subjects. After randomly dividing them into two groups and fasting them for 8 hours, the researchers gave one group a meal containing 1 gram of propionate (a food additive / “preservative”) and the other group a propionate-free meal.

What they found was telling: the people who consumed propionate had a “significant increase in plasma norepinephrine” and significant decrease in post-meal insulin sensitivity” over the span of 4 hours.  This was not the case for people who didn’t consume the harmful food additive.

In other words, a “very low dose” of propionate (yet equivalent to the amount we’re typically exposed to when consuming products with this food additive in it) led to “hormonal dysregulation-mediated insulin resistance” along with an uptick in hormones commonly seen in diabetic and obese individuals.

While their study can’t directly prove that consuming propionate actually causes diabetes, the hypothesis doesn’t seem unfounded. This is particularly true when we consider the data that these same researchers found in the part of their study involving rodent models:

Specifically, they found that mice who consumed propionate suffered negative effects in both the short-term (high blood sugar levels) and long term (weight gain and insulin resistance).

Pretty concerning, if you ask us. Especially when you consider how common propionate is.  This food additive (a salt from a short-chain fatty acid called propionic acid) is in baked goods, artificial flavorings, and even animal feeds.

Want to avoid diabetes? Try these top tips for improving your insulin sensitivity

About 415 million people around the world are currently living with diabetes, and the incidence is expected to jump by 50% by the year 2040.

If you’re hoping to protect yourself and your family from this costly and potentially devastating disease, be sure to utilize these science-based ways to improve your insulin sensitivity – that way, your body can control its blood sugar levels more effectively:

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week at a ‘moderate’ intensity level.  And, note, as a general rule: a moderate intensity level should allow you to talk, but not sing.
• Get enough sleep: Around 6 to 8 hours per night in a cool and pitch dark room.
• Eat fewer carbs (especially refined carbs – aka propionate-loaded baked goods!), eat more non-toxic fats found in coconut oil, walnuts and avocados and make sure you’re eating plenty of fiber (around 25 to 40 grams per day).
• Consume high quality supplements like vitamin C, magnesium, probiotics, resveratrol, and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Consider intermittent fasting with guidance from your integrative physician.

Bottom line, with the right information (and decisive action), you can effectively remove the threat of blood sugar issues by making simple changes to your lifestyle.  Get started today and enjoy the process.

Sources for this article include:

Livescience.com
Sciencemag.com
Diabetes.org
Obesityinaction.org
Sci-news.com