Many people pay attention to sugar, salt, and fat when trying to eat a healthy diet. However, there is another group of ingredients that often receives much less attention. These ingredients are food preservatives.
They are added to many packaged foods to help products stay fresh for longer periods and to prevent spoilage caused by bacteria, mold, or oxidation.
Preservatives are found in a huge range of foods, including processed meats, packaged breads, ready-made meals, snacks, sauces, and drinks. Because they are so common, most people consume them every day without giving them much thought.
Now, a major new study suggests that some of these commonly used additives may have important effects on heart health.
The research was led by scientists from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, known as INSERM, together with researchers from Université Sorbonne Paris Nord and Université Paris Cité. The study was published in the European Heart Journal.
The researchers examined dietary and health information from 112,395 adults living in France. The study was part of the long-running NutriNet-Santé project, which investigates the relationship between nutrition and health.
Participants carefully recorded everything they ate and drank over three-day periods every six months. The researchers then analyzed the ingredients in these foods and identified the specific preservatives that participants consumed.
The volunteers were followed for an average of seven to eight years. During this time, the researchers monitored whether participants developed high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease includes serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, and angina, which causes chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart.
The findings showed that exposure to food preservatives was nearly universal. Within the first two years of the study, 99.5 percent of participants had consumed at least one preservative. People who consumed the highest amounts of certain preservatives had significantly higher risks of health problems.
Those with the highest intake of non-antioxidant preservatives had a 29 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure and a 16 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed the least. People who consumed the largest amounts of antioxidant preservatives also had a higher risk of hypertension.
The researchers identified eight commonly consumed preservatives that were associated with a greater risk of high blood pressure.
These included potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulphite, sodium nitrite, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, sodium erythorbate, citric acid, and rosemary extracts. Among these additives, ascorbic acid was also associated with cardiovascular disease.
Scientists believe several biological processes could help explain these findings. Previous experimental studies suggest that some preservatives may increase oxidative stress, which occurs when harmful molecules damage cells.
Some preservatives may also interfere with normal metabolic processes or affect the way the body regulates inflammation and blood vessel function.
The study does not prove that these preservatives directly cause heart disease or high blood pressure. Because it was an observational study, other factors could also contribute to the results. However, the research has important strengths.
It involved a very large number of participants, followed them for many years, and collected unusually detailed dietary information. The findings add to growing concerns about the potential health effects of highly processed foods.
Reviewing the evidence, the study suggests that people may benefit from choosing more minimally processed foods whenever possible. Fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and home-prepared meals usually contain fewer unnecessary additives.
Although more research is needed to understand exactly how these preservatives affect the body, the findings provide another reminder that the ingredients hidden in packaged foods may influence health in ways that scientists are only beginning to understand.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and Vitamin C linked to lower risk of heart failure.
Source: INSERM.
