French Study Links Common Food Preservatives to Higher Risk of High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease

Higher consumption of certain preservative food additives was associated with a 29% higher incidence of hypertension and a 16% higher incidence of cardiovascular disease in the French NutriNet-Santé study.

A major French study involving more than 112,000 adults has found that higher consumption of several widely used food preservatives may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

The findings come from the long-running NutriNet-Santé cohort study and were published in the European Heart Journal. Researchers analyzed dietary and health data from 112,395 participants over a median follow-up period of nearly eight years.

According to the study, participants with higher exposure to non-antioxidant preservatives, commonly used to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage in processed foods, had a 29% higher incidence of hypertension and a 16% higher incidence of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes.

Researchers also found that greater exposure to antioxidant preservatives, which are often added to prevent discoloration and oxidation in food products, was associated with a 22% higher incidence of hypertension.

The study tracked 58 preservative additives and identified several commonly used substances linked to elevated cardiovascular risk. These included potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulfite, sodium nitrite, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, sodium erythorbate, citric acid and rosemary extracts.

Overall, researchers reported that 99.5% of participants consumed at least one preservative additive during the study period, highlighting the widespread presence of these substances in modern diets.

The authors noted that the findings could have important public health implications because preservatives are present in thousands of commercially available foods and beverages.

“These findings may have important public health implications as consumers are exposed to these compounds via thousands of foods and drinks,” the researchers wrote.

However, the researchers cautioned that the study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship. They called for additional epidemiological and experimental studies to better understand the mechanisms involved.

“These results need to be confirmed by other epidemiological studies, and additional experimental data are needed,” the authors stated.

The findings add to growing scientific interest in the long-term health effects of ultra-processed foods and the additives commonly used in their production. While experts say more research is needed, the study supports broader recommendations encouraging consumers to favor fresh and minimally processed foods whenever possible.