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Where the Eight Preservatives Tied to Heart Risk Hide
By @sharedot · · 6 pages
New reporting details which eight preservatives a French study linked to hypertension and the everyday foods that contain them.
The eight additives, now with their E-numbers
Follow-up reporting has put code numbers and typical uses to the eight preservatives a large French study linked to higher rates of high blood pressure. According to liga.net, they are potassium sorbate (E202), often used in processed fruits and beverages; potassium pyrosulfite (E224), common in wine; sodium nitrite (E250), sodium ascorbate (E301) and sodium erythorbate (E316), all used in processed meat; ascorbic acid (E300), added to processed fruits and vegetables; citric acid (E330), widely used in soft drinks; and rosemary extract (E392), usually added to oils and fats. Dr. Partha Nandi of WXYZ listed the same eight additives by name, including ascorbic acid, citric acid and rosemary extract, in his Health Alert on the findings.
Why the list is surprising
The surprise is that the flagged ingredients are not obscure industrial chemicals but routine preservatives, and one of them is vitamin C itself. WXYZ reports that ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, was also linked to cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and angina. liga.net adds a figure to that link, reporting ascorbic acid (E300) was associated with a 15% increase in cardiovascular disease risk, and notes that roughly half of the ascorbates participants consumed came from processed fruits and vegetables — foods usually seen as healthy rather than risky.
The evidence behind the links
The study, part of a large French research project, followed more than 112,000 adults for about seven to eight years, with participants recording everything they ate and drank over three-day periods every six months, according to WXYZ. WXYZ reports that people consuming the most non-antioxidant preservatives had a 29% higher risk of high blood pressure and a 16% higher risk of heart disease, while the highest consumers of antioxidant preservatives had a 22% higher risk of high blood pressure. liga.net, citing the same research, reports a 24% higher hypertension risk among the highest preservative consumers overall and says the associations held even after adjusting for major food groups such as fruits and vegetables, red and processed meats, and ultra-processed foods.
Caveats and what to do next
Both outlets stress the limits of the evidence. WXYZ notes the study was observational, so it does not prove these preservatives caused high blood pressure or heart disease, and says more research is needed; liga.net similarly says the results indicate only a possible link, not causation. Researchers are exploring whether some preservatives contribute to oxidative stress, in which harmful molecules build up faster than the body can neutralize them, damaging cells and tissues over time, and whether some affect the pancreas, which regulates blood sugar and metabolism, according to WXYZ. Dr. Nandi's practical advice: choose fresh or minimally processed foods as much as possible, and limit packaged and processed foods to avoid unnecessary additives.