French Studies Link Certain Food Preservatives to Higher Cancer and Diabetes Risk

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published January 9, 2026

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Two recent French studies have found a potential association between the consumption of commonly used food preservatives and an increased risk of certain cancers and type 2 diabetes, raising renewed questions about the long-term health effects of food additives.

The studies were conducted as part of the NutriNet-Santé research project, launched in 2009, which tracks detailed dietary and health data from more than 170,000 participants across France using linked medical records.

The first study, published in the BMJ, examined cancer risk among approximately 105,000 participants over a follow-up period of up to 14 years. Researchers reported associations between higher consumption of six widely used preservatives—including sodium nitrite and potassium nitrate—and an increased risk of specific cancers, despite these substances being generally approved for food use in many countries.

The second study, published in Nature Communications, focused on type 2 diabetes and found that higher exposure to several food preservatives was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease, particularly among participants with the highest levels of intake.

Lead researcher Mathilde Touvier emphasized that the findings are significant but should be interpreted with caution, noting that the studies are observational and do not establish a direct causal relationship, despite controlling for major lifestyle and health-related factors.

Preventive medicine specialist Dr. David Katz, who was not involved in the research, said the results add to existing evidence supporting reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods and greater reliance on fresh, minimally processed diets.

Researchers concluded that while further studies are needed to confirm the findings, the data support ongoing discussions about reassessing regulations governing food additives to improve consumer protection.