Quick Facts

• Study of 105,260 people over 7.5 years found six preservatives linked to 12-32% higher cancer risk
• Sodium nitrite showed strongest association with 32% higher prostate cancer risk
• Preservatives are classified as safe by FDA but researchers call for regulation review

A decade-long French study tracking more than 100,000 people has found that higher consumption of six common food preservatives increases cancer risk by 12-32%, according to research published in The BMJ on January 7.

The NutriNet-Santé study followed 105,260 participants aged 15 and older (average age 42, 79% women) from 2009 to 2023. Researchers analyzed detailed dietary records and tracked cancer diagnoses through health questionnaires and medical records.

Six preservatives showed significant cancer associations:

Sodium nitrite, found in processed meats, carried the highest risk with a 32% increase in prostate cancer. Potassium sorbate increased overall cancer risk by 14% and breast cancer by 26%. Potassium nitrate raised overall cancer risk by 13% and breast cancer by 22%.

Sulfites increased overall cancer risk by 12%, while acetates boosted overall cancer risk by 15% and breast cancer by 25%.

The absolute risk increase remains small. Among 43,586 low-consumer participants, 3% developed cancer compared to 3.5% of 38,503 high consumers. This translates to one cancer case prevented for every 200 people who switch from high to low preservative intake.

“These are very important findings for preservatives that are widely used in the French and European markets, but also in the United States,” said senior author Mathilde Touvier, principal investigator of the NutriNet-Santé study.

The preservatives remain classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA. However, the agency has begun reassessing butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), another food preservative, based on new scientific data.

“This reassessment marks the end of the ‘trust us’ era in food safety,” said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “If BHA cannot meet today’s gold-standard science for its current uses, we will remove it from the food supply.”

Professor William Gallagher from University College Dublin noted that while the observational study cannot prove causation, it makes “interesting observations particularly in respect to an association between higher intake of non-antioxidant preservatives and higher rates of overall cancer, breast and prostate cancer.”

The researchers call for manufacturers to reduce unnecessary preservative use and recommend consumers choose “freshly prepared, minimally processed foods whenever possible.” They also urge regulators to re-evaluate current policies governing food additive use.

Read more: 6 Common Food Preservatives Were Linked to Cancer in This Massive Study