The $30 million toe in the water

A large French study has found a 29% increased risk of high blood pressure and a 16% increased risk of cardiovascular disease among those who consumed the most non-antioxidant preservatives. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, analyzed data from 112,395 participants in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort.

Researchers discovered that those with the highest intake of non-antioxidant preservatives had a 29% greater risk of developing hypertension compared to those with the lowest intake. they also had a 16% higher risk of developing conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and angina.

The study identified eight preservatives significantly associated with high blood pressure: potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulphite, sodium nitrite, and five antioxidant additives including ascorbic acid (vitamin C), sodium ascorbate, sodium erythorbate, citric acid, and rosemary extract.

What's in our food?

Food preservatives are ubiquitous in industrially produced foods. They serve to preveent spoilage and maintain quality by slowing changes in colour and flavour caused by oxygen (antioxidant preservatives) or by inhibiting moulds,bacteria and yeasts (non-antioxidant preservatives).

However, new research suggests that some commonly used preservatives may be associated with increased risks of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The study found that antioxidant preservatives were linked to a 22% increased risk of hypertension.

The researchers controlled for numerous confounding factors such as age, sex, smoking, body mass index, family medical history,physical activity, calorie intake,diet quality, and alcohol intake. although preservative intake correlated with higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods, the association persisted even after accounting for that, suggesting the effect is not solely due to poor diet.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

The study identified a key limitation: its observational design, which cannot prove that long-term consumption of food preservatives directly causes hypertension or cardiovascular disease.

However, a large US study found an association between nitrites in processed meat and increased risk of dying from coronary heart disease. Experimental research has also raised concerns: nitrites can promote oxidative stress and may contribute to insulin resistance, and cell and animal studies suggest that some preservatives can damage cells, affect blood vessel function, alter the gut microbiome, and disrupt metabolic pathways linked to insulin resistance.

These findings underscore the need for further research and potentially stricter regulations on the use of certain food additives.