The study also found that both non-antioxidant preservatives and antioxidant additives were linked to substantially higher diabetes risk, with increases of about 49% and 40% respectively.

Public health implications include potential stricter regulatory limits and clearer labeling, along with recommendations to favor freshly made, minimally processed foods to reduce exposure.

The research is contextualized within regulatory and political debates, noting delayed French policy discussions on ultraprocessed foods and contrasting UK moves to curb advertising for certain industrial foods.

The timing coincides with US dietary guidelines emphasizing whole, nutrient-dense foods and reduced processed foods, highlighting broader policy conversations.

Experts caution that preservatives provide shelf-life and cost benefits, so public health guidance stresses limiting exposure while acknowledging these practical advantages.

Editorials accompanying the study discuss policy implications and the need for a balanced approach that weighs food safety, costs, and public health.

Premium reporting notes the study draws on BMJ and Nature Communications research, without full methodological details in the excerpt.

Editorials from Xinyu Wang and Edward Giovannucci advocate balanced oversight and potential tighter usage limits, recognizing benefits of preservatives while calling for caution and more research.

Some experts recommended labeling foods that contain nitrates/nitrites with health warnings, while others urged more research to clarify causality.

Independent experts praised the study’s methodology but warned against rushing behavioral changes due to possible confounding factors like links between processed meat, alcohol, and cancer risk.

Researchers controlled for sociodemographic factors, tobacco and alcohol use, and diet quality, and called for regulatory reassessment of additive use to protect consumers.

A large BMJ study of over 100,000 French adults found that 11 of 17 preservatives showed no link to overall cancer risk, but higher intake of certain additives was associated with greater risks for specific cancers, such as potassium sorbate with higher breast cancer and overall cancer risk, sulfites with higher overall cancer risk, and sodium nitrite with higher prostate cancer risk; associations do not prove causation.