Common food additives tied to higher blood pressure and heart disease risk, study finds

A large NutriNet-Santé study of 112,395 French adults followed for about seven to eight years finds that higher intake of non-antioxidant preservatives is linked to a 29% higher risk of hypertension and a 16% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, while antioxidant preservatives are tied to a 22% higher hypertension risk. Eight preservatives—potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulphite, sodium nitrite, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, sodium erythorbate, citric acid and rosemary extracts—were associated with higher blood pressure, and ascorbic acid was additionally linked to cardiovascular disease. The authors call for regulatory re-evaluation and advocate opting for minimally processed foods while further studies probe potential mechanisms.