Eating some common food preservatives is linked to a slightly higher risk of eventually developing cancer and diabetes, according to two large French studies published Thursday. However, outside experts called for more research and emphasised that these kinds of observational studies cannot demonstrate a direct cause-and-effect relationship. The first study, published in the journal BMJ, said it observed “multiple associations between preservatives that are widely used in industrial foods and beverages on the European market… and higher incidences of overall, breast and prostate cancers”.
The preservatives included nitrites and nitrates, which are often used to cure ham, bacon and sausages. The second study, published in Nature Communications, also found a link between eating some food additives and developing type 2 diabetes. Both studies were based on an ongoing research project in which more than 100,000 French people fill out regular questionnaires about their diet.
French epidemiologist Mathilde Touvier, who supervised both studies, told AFP that “consuming products with preservatives does not mean you will immediately develop cancer”. “But we need to limit how much we are exposed to these products,” she said. The message for the general public is to choose the least processed foods when shopping in the supermarket. The strongest link found in the first study was between sodium nitrite and prostate cancer, which increased the risk by around a third.
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