Antibiotics are only part of the problem. A sugar additive used in several foods could have helped spread a seriously dangerous superbug around the US, according to a new study.. The finger of blame is pointed squarely at the sugar trehalose, found in foods such as nutrition bars and chewing gum. If the findings are confirmed, it's a stark warning that even apparently harmless additives have the potential to cause health issues when introduced to our food supply. In this case, trehalose is being linked with the rise of two strains of the bacterium Clostridium difficile, capable of causing diarrhea, colitis, organ failure, and even death. The swift rise of the antibiotic-resistant bug has become a huge problem for hospitals in recent years, and the timing matches up with the arrival of trehalose. "In 2000, trehalose was approved as a food additive in the United States for a number of foods from sushi and vegetables to ice cream," says one of the researchers, Robert Britton from the