A new study has found that eating more food preservatives—common substances added to processed foods to help them last longer—may raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The research comes from several French institutions, including Inserm, INRAE, and Sorbonne Paris Nord University. It was published in the journal Nature Communications and is based on data from over 100,000 adults in the NutriNet-Santé study.
Food preservatives are a type of food additive used to prevent spoilage. They are found in many processed foods and drinks around the world. According to the Open Food Facts World database, over 700,000 products listed in 2024 contain at least one preservative.
Preservatives are usually labeled on food packages with codes ranging from E200 to E299 (for non-antioxidant preservatives) and E300 to E399 (for antioxidant preservatives).
In the study, researchers divided preservatives into two groups. Non-antioxidants help stop the growth of harmful microbes and slow chemical changes that cause food to spoil. Antioxidant preservatives help prevent spoilage by reducing oxygen in the packaging.
Previous experiments on animals and cells have suggested that some preservatives might damage cells or DNA and hurt the body’s metabolism. But until now, we didn’t know for sure how these substances affect the risk of type 2 diabetes in humans.
Led by research director Mathilde Touvier, the team looked closely at the diets and health of more than 100,000 French adults between 2009 and 2023. These volunteers shared detailed information about their medical history, lifestyle, and eating habits. They also kept food records that listed the names and brands of the products they consumed.
Using data from food databases and tests measuring additives in those foods, the scientists calculated how much of each preservative each person consumed. They then compared these numbers with how many people developed type 2 diabetes.
Over the 14-year period, 1,131 of the 108,723 participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that people who consumed more preservative additives had a higher risk of developing the disease.
Those with the highest preservative intake had a 47% higher risk than those who ate the least. The risk went up by 49% for non-antioxidant preservatives and by 40% for antioxidant preservatives.
When looking at individual additives, the study focused on 17 preservatives that were consumed by at least 10% of the group. Of these, 12 were linked to a higher diabetes risk.
These included commonly used non-antioxidants like potassium sorbate, sodium nitrite, and acetic acid, as well as antioxidants like citric acid, phosphoric acid, and rosemary extract.
The researchers took into account other factors that could affect diabetes risk, such as age, physical activity, smoking, alcohol use, and diet quality. This helped strengthen the reliability of their findings.
“This is the first study to explore the link between preservative additives and type 2 diabetes,” said Touvier. “The results support earlier research showing that some of these substances may be harmful to health.”
Anaïs Hasenböhler, a doctoral student who helped conduct the study, said the findings raise questions about how food additives are regulated. The researchers say this study supports advice from health authorities encouraging people to choose fresh, less-processed foods and avoid unnecessary additives when possible.
In summary, this large, long-term study adds to growing concerns about how additives in processed foods may affect health. While more research is needed, these findings suggest that choosing simpler, more natural foods could help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about bananas and diabetes, and honey could help control blood sugar.
For more health information, please see recent studies about Vitamin D that may reduce dangerous complications in diabetes and results showing plant-based protein foods may help reverse type 2 diabetes.
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