Chemical found in ice cream may cause dangerous disease: research

A chemical found in dairy products, ice cream and meat products may cause type 2 diabetes, a study has found.

In the food industry, carrageenan (also known as E407) is used as an emulsifier for its gel-like properties.

But researchers warn that emulsifiers can destabilize blood sugar, harm stomach health, and even cause bowel cancer.

Now a team of scientists in Germany has attempted to find out in a study whether this additive found in a popular dessert can predispose people to type 2 diabetes.

In a study published in the journal BMC Medicine, 20 healthy-weight men between the ages of 27 and 31 were given 250 milligrams of carrageenan daily for two weeks along with their normal diet. While the other 20 people were given a placebo.

At the end of two weeks, the researchers took MRI scans of the participants’ brains and abdomens and looked for signs of inflammation, which is known to be an indicator of the onset of various stomach disorders.

The researchers also measured insulin sensitivity in the participants. Insulin is a hormone that absorbs energy from food and keeps the sugar level in the body stable.

In type 2 diabetes, the body loses sensitivity to this hormone, causing blood sugar levels to become dangerously high or low.