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By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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Most people don’t think twice about the long list of ingredients printed on packaged food. However, new research has raised fresh concerns about the potential impact of everyday food preservatives on heart health.
A study published in the European Heart Journal, tracked the diets of 112,395 people, examining not only what they ate but also the specific additives in their food—and the findings point to a possible connection between regular consumption of certain preservatives and conditions such as hypertension, heart attack, stroke and angina.
Dr. Gultekin Faik Hobikoglu, professor of cardiology at Medicana Health Group, told Newsweek that while research into preservatives is still developing, people who consume large amounts of processed foods “tend to suffer from higher blood pressure… and heart disease,” though he stressed this is often linked to broader dietary patterns rather than additives alone.
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Why Are Preservatives Used in Food Production
Food preservatives are commonly used in industrially processed foods to extend shelf life and maintain quality, and while earlier laboratory research has already hinted at potential health effects, there has been limited evidence from large human studies.
Study lead Anaïs Hasenböhler said: "Food preservatives are used in hundreds of thousands of industrially processed foods. Experimental studies suggest that some preservative food additives may be harmful to cardiovascular health, but we have not had enough evidence on the impact of these ingredients in humans.
“As far as we know, this is the first study of its kind to investigate the links between a wide range of preservatives and cardiovascular health."
What the New Study Found
The study formed part of the long-running NutriNet-Santé project in France, where participants recorded everything they ate and drank over three-day periods every six months, allowing researchers to build a detailed picture of their diets.
The team then analyzed the ingredients in those foods and tracked participants’ health for an average of seven to eight years.
Almost all participants were exposed to food preservatives during the study period, and within just two years, 99.5 percent had consumed at least one type of preservative.
The results showed a clear pattern: higher intake appeared to be linked with greater health risks.
Those who consumed the largest amounts of non-antioxidant preservatives had a 29 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure compared with those who consumed the least. They also faced a 16 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Similarly, participants with the highest intake of antioxidant preservatives had a 22 percent greater risk of hypertension.
Researchers also looked more closely at individual additives.
The eight commonly used preservatives which were associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure are:
- Potassium sorbate (E202)
- Potassium metabisulphite (E224)
- Sodium nitrite (E250)
- Ascorbic acid (E300)
- Sodium ascorbate (E301)
- Sodium erythorbate (E316)
- Citric acid (E330)
- Extracts of rosemary (E392)
Among these, ascorbic acid (E300) was also linked specifically to cardiovascular disease.
Hobikoglu noted that additives such as nitrates and nitrites, commonly found in processed meats, have been the subject of growing concern, though he added it is “often difficult to tell whether the negative health effects are due to the food additives or the other negative aspects of processed meats,” such as high salt and fat content.
Findings Remain Observational but Highlight Need for Further Scrutiny
Dr. Mathilde Touvier, study lead and research director at INSERM, emphasized that while the findings are significant, they come with important limitations.
"This study has some limitations inherent to its observational design. However, the findings are based on highly detailed data, and we have taken account of other factors that can increase or lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Experimental research in the literature consistently suggested that preservatives may cause oxidative stress in the body or affect the way the pancreas works," Touvier said.
"These results suggest we need a re-evaluation of the risks and benefits of these food additives by the authorities in charge, such as the EFSA in Europe and the FDA in the USA, for better consumer protection. In the meantime, these findings support existing recommendations to favor non-processed and minimally processed foods, and avoid unnecessary additives. Doctors and other healthcare professionals play a key role in explaining these recommendations to the public."
The research team is continuing to investigate how food additives and ultra-processed foods may influence inflammation, oxidative stress, and other biological processes that could help explain these observed links.
Hobikoglu added that one of the main challenges in this area is that most evidence comes from observational studies, which “are unable to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between an additive and a human health effect,” as diet and lifestyle factors are difficult to fully control for in long-term research.
He advised that people concerned about preservatives should not panic, but instead focus on a balanced diet centered on “home cooked foods with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, fish… and simple dairy products,” while limiting highly processed foods.
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