Food Preservatives Linked to Higher Cancer, Diabetes Risk

The two large-scale epidemiological studies conducted in France and published in leading scientific journals, The BMJ and Nature Communications, have uncovered significant and concerning associations between the regular consumption of common industrial food preservatives and an elevated risk of developing serious chronic diseases, specifically various forms of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

The research, which tracked the dietary habits and health outcomes of over 100,000 French adults through regular questionnaires, identified preservatives like nitrites and nitrates—ubiquitous in cured meats such as bacon, ham, and sausages—as being linked to higher incidences of overall cancer, as well as breast and prostate cancers, with sodium nitrite showing a particularly strong connection to a roughly one-third increased risk of prostate cancer.

Simultaneously, the second study pinpointed a preservative called potassium sorbate, commonly used to inhibit mold and bacterial growth in a wide array of foods and beverages, as being associated with a doubling of the risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

While the study’s authors, led by epidemiologist Mathilde Touvier, emphasize that these observational findings do not prove direct causation and that the absolute increase in risk remains moderate—especially when compared to factors like heavy smoking—they strongly advocate for a precautionary public health approach, advising consumers to limit their exposure by choosing minimally processed foods and for policymakers to consider clearer labeling, such as health warnings on products containing nitrates and nitrites.

Independent experts have praised the studies’ robust methodology but caution that residual confounding factors, such as the overall unhealthy nature of diets high in processed meats and alcohol which already carry established risks, could partially explain the associations, underscoring the need for further investigative research while still validating the call for greater consumer awareness and regulatory scrutiny of pervasive food additives.