Common food preservatives linked to cancer and type 2 diabetes

common preservatives Products used to keep food safe and extend its shelf life may be linked to higher risk. various cancers Type 2 diabetes, according to two new studies from France.

“These are very important findings for preservatives widely used not only in the French and European markets, but also in the United States,” said senior author Mathilde Touvier, principal investigator of the NutriNet-Santé study used to conduct the research.

The NutriNet-Santé study, which began in 2009, compares web-based reports of diet and lifestyle from more than 170,000 participants with medical data stored in the French national health system.

“These are the first two studies in the world to investigate associations between exposure to these food additives and cancer and type 2 diabetes, and so we have to be very careful about the message. Obviously, the results need to be confirmed,” said Touvier, who is also director of research at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Paris.

Despite these warnings, Dr. “The emerging concern about preservatives is one more reason among many to highlight the importance of fresh, whole, minimally processed foods, mostly plants, to personal and public health,” Dr. David Katz said in an email. David Katz.

Katz, who was not involved in the research, is a preventive and lifestyle medicine expert who founded the nonprofit. Real Health InitiativeA global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine.

Cancer and preservatives

Cancer study published Wednesday BMJ magazine took a closer look at the effects of 58 preventives on nearly 105,000 cancer survivors in 2009 and were followed for up to 14 years. Only those who completed frequent 24-hour, brand-specific food surveys were included. People who ate the food containing the most preservatives were compared to those who ate the least.

Researchers took an in-depth look at 17 preservatives consumed by at least 10% of participants and found that 11 of them had no association with cancer. But six that have been linked to cancer are considered GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe” in food. US Food and Drug Administration. These include sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate, sorbates, potassium metabisulfite, acetates and acetic acid.

Sodium nitrite, a chemical salt commonly used in processed meats such as bacon, ham and deli meats, was linked to a 32% increase in the risk of prostate cancer. Its cousin, potassium nitrate, was associated with a 22% increased risk of breast cancer and a 13% increased risk of all cancers. The World Health Organization has long considered processed meat a food. carcinogenic, It has a direct link to colon cancer.

Sorbates, especially potassium sorbate, were associated with a 26% increased risk of breast cancer and a 14% increase in all types of cancer. These water-soluble salts are used in wine, baked goods, cheeses and sauces to prevent mold, yeast and some bacteria.

Potassium metabisulfite, commonly used in winemaking and beer brewing, was associated with a 20% increase in breast cancer and an 11% higher risk of all cancers, according to the study.

It was determined that acetates obtained from natural fermentation and used in foods such as meat, sauces, bread and cheese increased the risk of breast cancer by 25% and the risk of general cancer by 15%. The study found that acetic acid, the main ingredient in vinegar, was associated with a 12% increase in the risk of all cancers.

Other types of preservatives (antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, herbal extracts such as rosemary, and synthetic preservatives such as butylated hydroxyanisole) were also investigated. These more “natural” preservatives are generally linked to a lower risk of cancer when eaten as whole foods, but can be harmful when used as additives, Touvier said.

“The hypothesis here is that when you isolate a substance from the original matrix of a whole fruit or vegetable, its impact on our health may be different depending on the way our gut microbiota digests it,” he said.

Only two antioxidant protectants were found to be linked to cancer in the study. Sodium erythorbate and other erythorbates made from fermented sugars were associated with a 21% higher incidence of breast cancer and a 12% increase in overall cancer cases.

Erythorbates are used to prevent discoloration and spoilage in poultry, soft drinks, and baked goods. Sodium erythorbate is often used in processed meats to speed up the curing process.

Observational studies are prone to error due to lack of control over variables that can also affect the results. However, the biggest strength of this study was its ability to adjust for preservatives from natural sources and other food additives, as well as “detailed assessment of preservative intake through repeated 24-hour dietary records,” according to one research organization. editorial published together with the study.

“We also looked at what our colleagues have published about the impact of these protective chemicals on animal models, cellular models, gut microbiota, oxidative stress and inflammatory processes, which may explain what we observed,” Touvier said.

Additionally, both studies controlled for confounding factors such as physical activity, tobacco, alcohol use, medication use and lifestyle factors, Touvier said.

“The finding that certain classes of preservatives were associated with an increased risk of selected cancers was robust to all of these adjustments, indicating that this is an issue that warrants respect and requires further research,” Katz said.

Type 2 diabetes and protectors

Type 2 diabetes study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communicationexamined the role of preservatives and potential risk of type 2 diabetes in approximately 109,000 NutriNet-Santé participants who did not have the disease at the start of the study.

Of the 17 preservative researchers examined, 12 were linked to an almost 50% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people who consumed the highest levels of preservatives.

Five of the same cancer-causing preservatives (potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulfite, sodium nitrite, acetic acid and sodium acetate) also increased the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. According to the research, in this case the probability increased by 49%.

A sixth preservative, calcium propionate, was also added. It is a white powder used to stop the growth of mold and bacteria.

In this study on type 2 diabetes, more than two antioxidant supplements increased the risk. Additives that increase the risk by 42% include alpha-tocopherol, the most bioavailable form of vitamin E; sodium ascorbate, a buffered form of vitamin C and sodium; rosemary extracts; sodium erythorbate, made from fermented sugar; phosphoric acid, a preservative found in sodas, processed meats, cheeses, and other foods; and citric acid, a flavor enhancer, preservative and pH adjuster without significant nutritional value.

Anaïs Hasenböhler, a PhD student in the Nutrition Epidemiology Research Team at Sorbonne Paris Nord University and first author of both studies, said that since these two studies are the first to examine the role of protectors in the development of cancer and type 2 diabetes, much more research will be needed to confirm and extend the findings.

But Hasenböhler added in a statement: “These new data contribute to others in favor of re-evaluating the regulations governing the general use of food additives by the food industry in order to improve consumer protection.”

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