A long-term French study published Jan. 7 finds adults who consume higher levels of common food preservatives face a sharply increased risk of developing type two diabetes, raising concerns about additives in processed foods.
A large study of more than 100,000 adults links higher consumption of common food preservatives to a significantly increased risk of type two diabetes, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications.
The study was led by scientists from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research, known as Inserm, along with academic partners, and followed participants in the NutriNet-Santé cohort from 2009 to 2023.
Researchers analyzed dietary and health data from 108,723 French adults and identified 1,131 new cases of type two diabetes during the study period. Participants with the highest preservative intake had a forty-seven percent higher risk of developing the disease than those with the lowest intake.
Large French Study Tracks Diet and Diabetes Over Fourteen Years
Participants regularly reported medical history, lifestyle habits and physical activity. They also completed repeated twenty-four-hour dietary records that included brand-level information on processed foods and drinks.
Researchers cross-referenced those records with multiple databases, including Open Food Facts and the European Food Safety Authority, to estimate individual exposure to common food preservatives over time.
“Until now, evidence in humans linking preservatives to diabetes was limited,” said Mathilde Touvier, an Inserm research director who coordinated the study. “This work provides new epidemiological data suggesting these additives may play a role.”
The analysis adjusted for age, sex, education, smoking, alcohol use, calorie intake and overall diet quality to reduce the influence of other risk factors.
Researchers Identify Specific Preservatives Tied to Elevated Risk
Across all food records, researchers identified fifty-eight preservative-related additives. Seventeen were analyzed individually because they were consumed by at least ten percent of participants.
Higher intake of twelve of those additives was associated with an increased diabetes risk. They included non-antioxidant preservatives such as potassium sorbate, sodium nitrite and calcium propionate, as well as antioxidant additives like citric acid, phosphoric acid and rosemary extracts.
Overall, non-antioxidant preservatives were linked to a forty-nine percent higher risk of type two diabetes, while antioxidant additives were associated with a forty percent increase.
Preservatives are widely used to extend shelf life and prevent spoilage. In 2024, more than 700,000 of the roughly three and a half million products listed in the Open Food Facts World database contained at least one preservative.
Scientists Urge Review of Additive Rules and Diet Choices
“This is the first study worldwide to examine links between preservative additives and type two diabetes incidence,” Touvier said. “Although confirmation is needed, the results align with experimental research showing harmful metabolic effects.”
Anaïs Hasenböhler, a doctoral researcher involved in the analysis, said the findings support stronger oversight. “These data argue for a reassessment of regulations governing the use of common food preservatives to better protect consumers,” she said.
The researchers emphasized the study does not prove preservatives directly cause diabetes but highlights a meaningful association that warrants further investigation.
Touvier said the findings reinforce existing public health advice. “This work supports recommendations to favor fresh, minimally processed foods and limit unnecessary additives,” she said.
The research was funded by the European Research Council, the French National Cancer Institute and the French Ministry of Health.
