Even The ‘Safe’ Additives? Study Raises Concerns About Food Preservatives, Heart Health

Every time someone reaches for a bag of deli meat, a bottle of wine, or a packaged snack, they may be consuming food preservatives designed to extend shelf life. These additives are so common that more than 20% of industrial foods and drinks contain at least one of them. A large new study out of France is now raising serious questions about what those preservatives might be doing to the heart.

Researchers studying more than 112,000 people over nearly eight years found that higher consumption of preservative food additives was linked to a greater risk of developing high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, including strokes and heart attacks. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, is one of the most detailed looks yet at how specific preservative chemicals in branded, packaged products relate to heart health.

How the Study Tracked Preservative Consumption

The study drew from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, a large French research project tracking participants’ eating habits and health outcomes since 2009. For this analysis, 112,395 people were included. Nearly 79% were women, and the average age at the start of the study was about 43. The median follow-up period was 7.9 years, running through the end of 2024.

Participants completed detailed dietary records, up to 96 of them, logging everything consumed right down to the specific brand. Because the same type of food can contain very different preservative ingredients depending on the manufacturer, that brand-specific detail allowed researchers to cross-reference multiple food composition databases and conduct laboratory tests on food samples to identify what preservatives were present and in what amounts.

Researchers tracked 58 different preservative substances. Of those, 17 were consumed by at least 10% of the study population and were examined individually for links to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Citric acid was found in more than 91% of participants’ diets, followed by ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C used as a preservative, and sulphites, compounds commonly found in wine and other alcoholic drinks. Sodium nitrite, widely used in processed meats like bacon and deli cuts, showed up in more than 73% of participants’ diets.

Higher Preservative Intake Tied to Significantly Elevated Blood Pressure Risk

By the end of the study, researchers had identified 5,544 new cases of high blood pressure and 2,450 new cases of cardiovascular disease. People in the highest consumption group for total non-antioxidant preservatives, a broad category that includes nitrites, sorbates, and sulphites, had a 29% higher risk of developing high blood pressure and a 16% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to the lowest consumers. High consumers of antioxidant-type preservatives, such as ascorbic acid and related compounds, had a 22% higher risk of high blood pressure.

Among specific preservatives, potassium sorbate, a mold inhibitor found in many packaged baked goods, cheeses, and beverages, was linked to a 39% higher risk of high blood pressure. Sodium nitrite was tied to a 16% higher risk. Citric acid was associated with a 25% higher risk. For cardiovascular disease specifically, ascorbic acid used as a food additive was associated with a 15% higher risk. Roughly 16% of the link between non-antioxidant preservatives and cardiovascular disease appeared to be explained by blood pressure acting as a middle step, meaning high blood pressure may be one pathway connecting these preservatives to elevated cardiovascular risk.

Results held up across multiple rounds of statistical testing that accounted for age, body weight, smoking status, physical activity, alcohol intake, sodium intake, and consumption of red and processed meats.

The Vitamin C Paradox in Packaged Foods

One of the more surprising findings involves ascorbic acid, chemically identical to vitamin C, which is generally associated with health benefits when consumed through fruits and vegetables. In this study, however, ascorbic acid consumed as a food additive was linked to a higher risk of both high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers were careful not to overstate this. Vitamin C from natural dietary sources and the same compound used as a food additive may behave differently in the body, potentially because of differences in dose, the food it travels in, or other compounds present alongside it. No similar association was found for tocopherols, a form of vitamin E also used as an antioxidant food additive, suggesting the effects are specific to certain compounds.

What This Study Does and Doesn’t Prove

The authors are explicit that this research shows an association, not proven cause and effect. Because this is an observational study, it cannot definitively establish that preservatives directly cause high blood pressure or heart disease, and residual confounding cannot be fully ruled out. Participants were recruited voluntarily through online campaigns requiring internet access, which may skew the group toward more health-conscious individuals. The cohort was predominantly women, which limits how broadly the findings apply to men.

For people who eat packaged and processed foods often, this study adds to a growing body of evidence that the fine print on food labels, like all those chemical names and additive codes, may deserve far more attention than most give them.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a peer-reviewed observational study and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider with any questions about diet, blood pressure, or cardiovascular health.

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