Eight common food preservatives are associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems

A study that followed over 112,000 people for years and noted the contents of each of their meals found an association between the consumption of eight common food preservatives and an increased risk of high blood pressure or cardiovascular problems. The research, published inEuropean Heart Journalis an invitation to weigh the risks and benefits of additives used to extend the useful life of food, which are on the one hand necessary to avoid waste and make healthy foods more accessible, and on the other potentially harmful to health.

The eight additives considered have an antioxidant effect, that is, they serve to inhibit the growth of fungi and bacteria on foods. I am:

• potassium sorbate (E202), which is found, for example, in dairy products, concentrated fruit juices, fillings and creams, dehydrated fruit;
• potassium metabisulfite (E224), used in fruit preserves and wine;
• sodium nitrite (E250), sodium ascorbate (E301) and sodium erythorbate (E316), used in processed meat products;
• ascorbic acid (E300), vitamin C used as a food additive, which helps preserve the natural color of foods and is often added to processed fruits and vegetables;
• citric acid (E330), commonly used in effervescent soft drinks, desserts, sliced ​​cheeses;
• rosemary extract (E392), which is found, for example, in vegetable oils and dried fruit-based spreads.

Those among the study participants who consumed greater quantities of these substances had a 24% increased risk of developing arterial hypertension (blood pressure in the arteries that is constantly too high, which increases the risk of events such as strokes and heart attacks). One of these substances taken individually, ascorbic acid (E300), i.e. the chemical form of vitamin C used as an additive, carried a 15% increased risk of cardiovascular problems.

The research was conducted by a group of nutritional epidemiologists from the Université Sorbonne-Paris-Nord on participants in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study, an online survey launched in 2009 to understand the link between nutrition and human health. One of the merits of this study is the detail in the meal notes: the participants were followed for 7-8 years, and some of them entered descriptions of a hundred meals, including not only the types of food, but also the brands of the food.

This made it possible to exclude that the negative effect on blood pressure and cardiovascular health depends on the fact that highly processed foods to be made palatable, such as breakfast cereals or bagged chips – ultra-processed – are generally richer in preservatives.

The relationship between preservatives and health risks indeed “held up” even after other factors were taken into consideration, such as the role of red meat, or whether the food was vegetables or junk food. In short, it did not matter what type of food the preservatives were found in: approximately half of the products containing ascorbates (the type of additive linked to cardiovascular risk) were processed fruit or vegetables.

Experimental laboratory or animal studies suggest that these preservatives exert negative effects on cardiovascular health and metabolism, but this research merely captures a correlation, albeit a very strong one.

What should we do, then? Eating foods without preservatives is impossible, and it must be recognized that these substances allow a greater number of people to access healthy foods, important for cardiovascular health, such as fruit and vegetables (albeit preserved).

On the other hand, the fact that consumers are exposed to these substances continuously, through what they drink and what they eat, suggests that it is necessary to re-evaluate their safety by the competent authorities. In the meantime, we can prefer, when possible, fresh and minimally processed foods.