Food additive titanium dioxide likely has more toxic effects than thought, study finds [View all]
Source: The Guardian
Fri 6 Jun 2025 07.00 EDT
Last modified on Fri 6 Jun 2025 09.43 EDT
The controversial food additive titanium dioxide likely has more toxic effects than previously thought, new peer-reviewed research shows, adding to growing evidence that unregulated nanoparticles used throughout the food system present an underestimated danger to consumers. In nanoparticle form, titanium dioxide may throw off the body’s endocrine system by disrupting hormonal response to food and dysregulating blood sugar levels, which can lead to diabetes, obesity and other health problems, the study found.
Ultra-processed foods more broadly have this effect on “food hormones”, but there isn’t a full understanding of why, and the new research may help point to an answer. “Our research highlights the detrimental effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles as potential intestinal endocrine disruptors,” the authors wrote in the peer-reviewed study led by China’s Jiaxing Nanhu University.
Titanium dioxide in nanoparticle form is used in food to brighten whites or enhance colors, and may be in as many as 11,000 US products, especially candy and snack foods. Popular products like M&Ms and Chips Ahoy! cookies contain the substance. They’re also heavily used in nonstick ceramic pans.
The EU banned titanium dioxide for food use in 2022 because previous research has shown it to likely be a neurotoxin, be an immunotoxin, cause intestinal lesions and potentially damage genes. The particles can accumulate in organs and stay in the body for years. A 2022 lawsuit drew wide attention for alleging that Skittles are “unfit for human consumption” because they contain titanium dioxide. On the heels of the study, Skittles announced it would stop using the substance, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has maintained that it is safe.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/titanium-dioxide-food-additive-toxic
Link to PUBLICATION - Titanium dioxide nanoparticles disturb glucose homeostasis in association with impaired enteroendocrine cell differentiation
= new reply since forum marked as read