Food Additives News

May 2, 2026

Top Headlines

Artificial Neurons Successfully Communicate with Living Brain Cells

Apr. 18, 2026 Engineers at Northwestern University have taken a striking leap toward merging machines with the human brain by printing artificial neurons that can actually communicate with real ones. These flexible, low-cost devices generate lifelike electrical ...

Can Sparkling Water Boost Metabolism and Help with Weight Loss?

Apr. 17, 2026 Sparkling water is often seen as a simple, healthy drink—but could it also help with weight loss? New research suggests it may slightly boost how the body processes blood sugar and energy. However, the effect is very small, meaning it’s no ...

Scientists Discover Spice Synergy That Boosts Anti-inflammation 100x

Apr. 9, 2026 Chronic inflammation often works quietly in the background but can fuel serious diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. New research reveals that everyday plant compounds—like menthol from mint, cineole from eucalyptus, and capsaicin ...

Hardly Anyone Uses This Surprisingly Simple Blood Pressure Fix

Mar. 31, 2026 Salt substitutes offer a simple, low-cost way to reduce sodium intake and improve blood pressure, yet very few Americans actually use them—even among those who need them most. A large national analysis spanning nearly two decades found that usage ...

This New Test Could Transform UTI Treatment with Same-day Results

Mar. 31, 2026 A breakthrough urine test could dramatically speed up how doctors treat urinary tract infections, identifying the right antibiotic in under six hours instead of waiting days. By testing directly from urine—skipping the usual lab culturing ...

Mar. 28, 2026 A widely used sugar substitute found in everything from keto snacks to diet drinks may not be as harmless as it seems. New research shows that erythritol can disrupt brain blood vessel cells, reducing their ability to relax, increasing harmful ...

Scientists Discover Tiny Rocket Engines Inside Malaria Parasites

Mar. 19, 2026 Malaria parasites contain tiny spinning crystals that have puzzled scientists for years. New research reveals they’re powered by a rocket-like reaction that breaks down hydrogen peroxide, releasing energy. This motion may help the parasite ...

Cutting Sweet Foods Doesn’t Reduce Cravings or Improve Health

Mar. 19, 2026 A new study suggests that eating less sweet food doesn’t make people crave it any less—or improve their health markers. Participants who increased or decreased sweetness in their diets showed no changes in preferences, weight, or disease risk. ...

Feb. 26, 2026 Popular acid reflux drugs such as Prilosec, Nexium, and Protonix may carry hidden risks when taken long term. A new study found that extended use disrupted iron and calcium levels in rats, changes associated with anemia and osteoporosis risk. ...

Ultra-processed Foods Linked to 47% Higher Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Feb. 10, 2026 Ultra-processed foods are everywhere in the American diet, and researchers are finding alarming consequences. Using national health data, scientists found that adults with the highest intake of these foods had a 47% higher risk of heart attack or ...

A Quiet Change in Everyday Foods Could Save Thousands of Lives

Jan. 31, 2026 Lowering salt in everyday foods could quietly save lives. Researchers found that modest sodium reductions in bread, packaged foods, and takeout meals could significantly reduce heart disease and stroke rates in France and the U.K. The key advantage ...

Tea Can Improve Your Health and Longevity, but How You Drink It Matters

Jan. 28, 2026 Drinking tea, particularly green tea, is linked to better heart health, improved metabolism, and lower risks of chronic diseases like diabetes and cancer. It may also help protect the brain and preserve muscle strength as people age. However, ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:36am EDT

These Common Food Preservatives May Be Linked to Cancer

Jan. 27, 2026 A large French study tracking more than 100,000 people over a decade has found that higher consumption of certain food preservatives—commonly found in processed foods and drinks—is linked to a ...

How Scientists Are Turning Thyme Into Precision Medicine

Jan. 17, 2026 Thyme extract is packed with health-promoting compounds, but it is difficult to control and easy to waste. Researchers created a new technique that traps tiny amounts of the extract inside ...

Vitamin A May Be Helping Cancer Hide from the Immune System

Jan. 16, 2026 A vitamin A byproduct has been found to quietly disarm the immune system, allowing tumors to evade attack and weakening cancer vaccines. Scientists have now developed a drug that shuts down this ...

This New Sugar Tastes Like the Real Thing Without the Usual Downsides

Jan. 13, 2026 Scientists at Tufts have found a way to turn common glucose into a rare sugar that tastes almost exactly like table sugar—but with far fewer downsides. Using engineered bacteria as microscopic ...

Common Food Preservatives Linked to Higher Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Jan. 9, 2026 Foods that rely heavily on preservatives may be doing more than extending shelf life. In a large study spanning more than a decade, people with the highest intake of preservative additives were far ...

This Common Food Ingredient May Shape a Child’s Health for Life

Dec. 26, 2025 Scientists discovered that common food emulsifiers consumed by mother mice altered their offspring’s gut microbiome from the very first weeks of life. These changes interfered with normal immune ...

This Cancer-Fighting Molecule Took 50 Years to Build

Dec. 22, 2025 MIT scientists have achieved the first-ever lab synthesis of verticillin A, a complex fungal compound discovered in 1970. Its delicate structure stalled chemists for decades, despite differing from ...

Sugar-Free Sweeteners May Still Be Harming Your Liver

Dec. 20, 2025 Sorbitol, a popular sugar-free sweetener, may not be as harmless as its label suggests. Researchers found it can be turned into fructose in the liver, triggering effects similar to regular sugar. Gut ...

The 98% Mystery: Scientists Just Cracked the Code on “junk DNA” Linked to Alzheimer’s

Dec. 19, 2025 Researchers have revealed that so-called “junk DNA” contains powerful switches that help control brain cells linked to Alzheimer’s disease. By ...

New Study Shows Some Plant-Based Diets May Raise Heart Disease Risk

Dec. 15, 2025 Researchers tracking over 63,000 adults found that high-quality, minimally processed plant foods significantly reduce cardiovascular risk. But when those plant foods are ultra-processed, the ...

Global Surge in Ultra-Processed Foods Sparks Urgent Health Warning

Nov. 24, 2025 Ultra-processed foods are rapidly becoming a global dietary staple, and new research links them to worsening health outcomes around the world. Scientists say only bold, coordinated policy action can ...

Your Bedroom Glow Might Be Quietly Damaging Your Heart

Nov. 3, 2025 Boston researchers linked nighttime light exposure to greater stress-related brain activity and inflamed arteries, signaling a higher risk of heart disease. The study suggests that artificial light ...

Scientists Just Debunked the Calcium and Dementia Myth

Oct. 18, 2025 A long-term Australian study found that calcium supplements do not raise dementia risk in older women, countering previous fears. The research followed more than 1,400 participants for nearly 15 ...

A Flu Test You Can Chew

Oct. 2, 2025 Flu detection could soon be as simple as chewing gum. Scientists have created a molecular sensor that releases a thyme-like flavor when it encounters influenza, offering a low-tech, taste-based ...

Four Strange Secrets Scientists Just Found in Beer and Wine

Sep. 28, 2025 Beer and wine, staples of human history for millennia, are still yielding new surprises. Recent research highlights how yeast extracts can cloud lagers, gluten can be quickly detected with a simple ...

Hardly Anyone Uses This Surprisingly Simple Fix for High Blood Pressure

Sep. 20, 2025 Despite strong evidence that salt substitutes can safely lower sodium intake and reduce high blood pressure, very few Americans use them. A new analysis of nearly 20 years of national health data ...

Sweeteners in Diet Drinks May Steal Years from the Brain

Sep. 4, 2025 A large Brazilian study following more than 12,000 middle-aged adults found that those consuming the most artificial sweeteners—commonly found in diet sodas, flavored waters, and processed ...

CRISPR Brings Back Ancient Gene That Prevents Gout and Fatty Liver

Nov. 14, 2025 By reactivating a long-lost gene, researchers were able to lower uric acid levels and stop damaging fat accumulation in human liver models. The breakthrough hints at a future where gout and several ...

A Hidden Sugar Source in Ketchup, Salad Dressing, and Toothpaste

Aug. 25, 2025 UBC researchers revealed that gut bacteria can digest cellulose-based food thickeners, once thought indigestible, by using enzymes activated by natural dietary fibers. This discovery suggests these ...

How Much Damage Are Ultraprocessed Foods Really Doing to Your Health?

Aug. 10, 2025 Many foods we consume today are ultraprocessed, packed with unhealthy ingredients, and linked to major health risks. As consumption of these foods rises, so do chronic health issues, especially among ...

Artificial Sweeteners Could Soon Taste Just Like Sugar

Aug. 25, 2025 Scientists have identified compounds that block bitter taste receptors activated by saccharin and acesulfame K. The most promising is (R)-(-)-carvone, which reduces bitterness without the cooling ...

This Diet Helped People Lose Twice as Much Weight, Without Eating Less

Aug. 5, 2025 People eating minimally processed foods lost twice as much weight as those on ultra-processed diets, even though both diets were nutritionally balanced and participants could eat freely. This ...

A Common Supplement Could Reverse the Hidden Harm of Sucralose

Sep. 6, 2025 Sucralose, the sugar substitute in many diet products, may weaken cancer immunotherapy by altering gut bacteria and reducing arginine levels needed for immune cells. But supplementation with arginine ...

This Gut Hormone Could Explain 40% of IBS-D Cases—and Lead to a Cure

July 29, 2025 A mysterious gut hormone may be behind many cases of chronic diarrhea, especially in people with undiagnosed bile acid malabsorption, a condition often mistaken for irritable bowel syndrome. ...

Beet Juice Secretly Helps Older Adults Lower Blood Pressure in Just Two Weeks

Aug. 31, 2025 Drinking nitrate-rich beetroot juice lowered blood pressure in older adults by reshaping their oral microbiome, according to researchers at the University of Exeter. The study found that beneficial ...

July 19, 2025 Erythritol, a widely used sugar substitute found in many low-carb and sugar-free products, may not be as harmless as once believed. New research from the University of Colorado Boulder reveals that ...

Sweet but Risky: Common Sweeteners May Be Accelerating Puberty in Kids

July 15, 2025 Kids who consume artificial and natural sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and glycyrrhizin may face an increased risk of early puberty, especially if they carry specific genetic markers. This ...

New Tech Tracks Blood Sodium Without a Single Needle

July 6, 2025 Scientists have pioneered a new way to monitor sodium levels in the blood—without drawing a single drop. By combining terahertz radiation and optoacoustic detection, they created a non-invasive ...

The Bright Colors in Your Food May Be Harming Your Kids

Nov. 7, 2025 Almost 20% of packaged foods and beverages in the US contain synthetic dyes, often paired with excessive sugar to attract children. These additives have been linked to behavioral issues, yet remain ...

Sunflowers May Be the Future of "vegan Meat"

Nov. 4, 2025 A collaboration between Brazilian and German researchers has led to a sunflower-based meat substitute that’s high in protein and minerals. The new ingredient, made from refined sunflower flour, ...