A substantial French study involving over 112,000 adults has identified eight common food preservatives that are associated with higher risks of developing high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The research, published in the European Heart Journal, analyzed the dietary intake of participants over an average follow-up period of nearly eight years.
During the study, 5,544 participants developed hypertension, and 2,450 experienced cardiovascular disease events. Researchers found that higher consumption of total non-antioxidant preservatives was linked to a 29% greater risk of hypertension and a 16% higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Total antioxidant preservatives were associated with a 22% spike in hypertension risk.
Eight specific preservative additives were particularly linked to higher rates of hypertension: potassium sorbate, sorbic acid, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrite, sodium metabisulphite, potassium metabisulphite, citric acid, and tripotassium citrate. Only one preservative, ascorbic acid (the food additive form of vitamin C), was significantly associated with a higher cardiovascular disease risk, though researchers clarified this refers to the additive form and not vitamin C from natural sources.
"This is a very important study that puts together what we already know – that preservatives of all kinds raise blood pressure and contribute directly to heart disease and stroke over eight years," said Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst at Fox News, who was not involved in the study. He noted that sodium nitrite, found in processed meats like hot dogs and bacon, was consumed regularly by 73% of participants in the new study.
Potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite have also been previously associated with elevated blood pressure in other research, according to Siegel. He expressed some skepticism about the association with ascorbic acid as a preservative but acknowledged that the risk might be specific to its chemical form in processed foods.
The study's authors acknowledged potential limitations, noting that as an observational study, it cannot definitively prove causation. Participants were also generally healthier, more educated, and more often female than the broader French population, and there was a possibility of underdiagnosis of hypertension or inaccurate self-reporting of dietary intake. The researchers emphasized that these findings require confirmation in further studies across different populations.
If replicated, these results could lead to additional safety reviews for certain food preservatives concerning their impact on the cardiovascular system. The study's findings come as 72% of packaged foods in the U.S. are estimated to be ultra-processed, made from inexpensive ingredients with minimal nutritional value.