For years, we’ve been told to watch the salt, sugar and unhealthy fats in processed foods.
And for good reason.
Ultra-processed foods have been linked again and again to higher risks for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and early death.
But researchers are still trying to answer an important question:
What exactly makes these foods so harmful?
Is it the sodium? The sugar? The refined carbs? The lack of fiber? The way these foods are engineered to make us eat more?
The answer is probably “all of the above.”
But a new study suggests another overlooked piece of the puzzle may deserve more attention: the preservatives used to keep processed foods shelf-stable, attractive and safe from spoilage.
And before American readers dismiss this as a European food issue, it’s important to know this: many of the preservatives flagged in the study are also used in foods sold in the U.S.
The preservative problem hiding in plain sight
The study was part of the long-running NutriNet-Santé project and included more than 112,000 adults in France.
Participants regularly reported what they ate and drank, and researchers analyzed their exposure to common food preservatives. Then they followed participants for about seven to eight years to see who developed high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease.
The results were concerning.
People who consumed the most non-antioxidant preservatives had a 29% higher risk of high blood pressure and a 16% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed the least.
Those who consumed the most antioxidant preservatives had a 22% higher risk of high blood pressure.
The study doesn’t prove these preservatives caused heart problems. It was observational, meaning it found a link.
But it does raise a question worth asking:
Could the preservatives in ultra-processed foods be one reason these foods are so consistently tied to poor heart health?
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Eight preservatives linked to higher blood pressure
Researchers looked at 17 commonly consumed preservatives. Eight were specifically linked with a higher risk of high blood pressure:
• Potassium sorbate
• Potassium metabisulfite, also spelled metabisulphite in Europe
• Sodium nitrite
• Ascorbic acid
• Sodium ascorbate
• Sodium erythorbate
• Citric acid
• Rosemary extract
Ascorbic acid was also specifically linked with cardiovascular disease.
Some of those names may sound familiar. Others may sound harmless.
Ascorbic acid, for example, is basically vitamin C. Citric acid is found naturally in citrus fruits. Rosemary extract may sound like something you’d want in your food.
But this study wasn’t looking at oranges, lemons or rosemary from your garden.
It was looking at preservatives added to processed foods — often in combination with other additives, and often consumed repeatedly by people whose diets include a lot of packaged, shelf-stable and ready-to-eat products.
Why this matters for American shoppers
In Europe, food additives are often listed by “E-numbers.” The preservatives in this study may appear as E202, E224, E250, E300, E301, E316, E330 and E392.
But in the U.S., you’re more likely to see the ingredient names spelled out on the label: potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulfite, sodium nitrite, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, sodium erythorbate, citric acid and rosemary extract.
That means this research isn’t something American readers can brush off as “only a European problem.”
These same or closely related preservatives can show up in foods sold here, including cured meats, packaged baked goods, cheeses, sauces, dips, dressings, beverages, dried fruit, snack foods and other processed products.
And that’s where the real issue may be.
Seeing one of these ingredients on one food label doesn’t mean that food is automatically dangerous. But if your daily diet includes a steady stream of packaged snacks, processed meats, shelf-stable baked goods, bottled drinks, frozen meals, sauces and ready-to-eat foods, you may be getting more preservative exposure than you realize.
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It’s not just about one ingredient
That’s why this study is useful — not because it gives us a new chemical to fear, but because it helps explain why ultra-processed foods may be so hard on the body.
For a long time, the advice has been to limit processed foods because they’re often high in sodium, sugar, unhealthy fats and calories.
That’s still true.
But many ultra-processed foods are also built from a long list of additives designed to improve shelf life, texture, color, flavor and appearance. Preservatives are only one part of that picture, but this study suggests they may be an important part.
Researchers are now studying how food additives and ultra-processed foods may influence inflammation, oxidative stress, blood markers of metabolism and gut microbiota composition.
In other words, they’re trying to understand what these foods may be doing inside the body after we eat them.
That work is still ongoing. But the takeaway for now is simple: the more often you choose foods that need a long list of ingredients to stay fresh, stable and appealing, the more additive exposure you may be getting.
What to do at the grocery store
The safest move isn’t to panic over every unfamiliar ingredient.
It’s to shift the pattern of your diet.
Start by looking at the foods you eat most often. Those are the ones that matter most because they shape your daily exposure.
If you eat processed meats every day, consider cutting back. Sodium nitrite, sodium erythorbate and sodium ascorbate are commonly used in cured meats like hot dogs, deli meats, bacon and sausages.
If packaged snacks, shelf-stable baked goods, sauces, dips or bottled drinks are daily staples, check those labels too. Ingredients like potassium sorbate may be used to help preserve freshness or prevent spoilage.
Again, one ingredient on one label is not the problem.
The concern is repeated exposure from a diet built around processed foods.
So the goal is not perfection. It’s progress.
Choose fresh or minimally processed foods more often. Build meals around vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, poultry and other simple foods. Use packaged foods when they make life easier, but don’t let them become the foundation of your diet.
And when you do buy packaged foods, let the ingredient list guide you. A shorter list isn’t always perfect, but it can be a helpful clue.
The more a food looks like something you could make in your own kitchen, the better.
A second look is overdue
Food safety agencies in both Europe and the U.S. already place limits on many additives. But this study suggests that simply asking whether an additive is safe in isolation may not be enough.
People don’t eat preservatives in isolation.
They eat them as part of real diets — often alongside other additives, inside foods that are already heavily processed.
That’s why this research matters. It points to a bigger question about how the modern processed-food diet affects heart health over time.
Until more answers are available, the best advice is also the most familiar: eat fewer ultra-processed foods, choose fresh or minimally processed foods more often, and pay attention to the ingredient list — not just the nutrition facts panel.
Because when it comes to protecting your blood pressure and your heart, what’s added to your food may matter more than you think.
Sources:
1. Study Warns Widely Used Food Preservatives Linked to High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease — SciTechDaily
2. Preservative food additives, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases: the NutriNet-Santé study — European Heart Journal
3. 6 U.S. Food Ingredients That Are Banned in Europe and Other Parts of the World — GoodRx
4. Upcoming restrictions for nitrites and nitrates in the food industry — Lallemand Bio-Ingredients
5. Dirty dozen food chemicals: TBHQ — EWG
FAQ: Food preservatives and heart health
A French study involving more than 112,000 adults found that higher intake of several common food preservatives was associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure. The study does not prove preservatives cause hypertension, but it raises concerns about repeated exposure through processed foods.
The preservatives specifically linked with higher blood pressure were potassium sorbate, potassium metabisulfite, sodium nitrite, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, sodium erythorbate, citric acid and rosemary extract.
Yes. Many of the preservatives flagged in the French study are also used in foods sold in the U.S. They may appear in cured meats, packaged baked goods, cheeses, sauces, dips, dressings, beverages, dried fruit, snack foods and other processed products.
No. Ascorbic acid is a form of vitamin C, and citric acid occurs naturally in citrus fruits. The concern raised by this study is not about eating oranges, lemons or other whole foods. It is about repeated exposure to isolated preservatives added to processed foods.
Start with the foods you eat most often. Cut back on ultra-processed foods such as processed meats, packaged snacks, shelf-stable baked goods, bottled drinks, sauces and ready-to-eat meals. Choose fresh or minimally processed foods more often, and check ingredient lists when buying packaged foods.
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