Preservatives used to extend the shelf life of foods may be linked to increased risk of several cancers and type 2 diabetes. This is shown by two new observational studies from France, based on data from the large NutriNet-Santé study, reports CNN Health.
“These are very important results for preservatives used not only in France and Europe, but also in the United States,” says Mathilde Touvierprincipal researcher and leader of NutriNet-Santé.
Studies for a long time
The study, which started in 2009, includes over 170,000 participants. Participants have reported what they eat via web-based food diaries, and the data has been linked to their medical records in the French healthcare system.
“These are the first two studies in the world to investigate the links between these food additives and cancer and type 2 diabetes, respectively. Therefore, we have to be very careful in how the results are interpreted. They need to be confirmed in more studies,” she says.
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The cancer study, published in The BMJ, followed roughly 105,000 people without cancer for up to 14 years. The researchers analyzed 58 preservatives and focused in particular on 17 that were consumed by at least 10 percent of the participants.
Eleven of these showed no association with cancer. In contrast, six common preservatives, all of which are classified as generally recognized as safe, were linked to increased cancer risk. This includes sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate, which are often used in cured meats, as well as sorbates, potassium disulphite, acetates and acetic acid.
Sodium nitrite was linked to a 32 percent increased risk of prostate cancer. Potassium nitrate was linked to increased risk of breast cancer and cancer overall. Sorbates, which are used in wine, cheese and baked goods, among other things, were also linked to a higher cancer risk.
“The World Health Organization has long classified processed meat as carcinogenic, especially linked to colon cancer,” says Mathilde Touvier.
