New research found that common food preservatives are linked to higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
Scientists tracked the eating habits and health outcomes of over 112,000 adults in France for nearly eight years. Participants, mostly women, with an average age of 43 had no history of high blood pressure or heart disease when the study began in 2009.
Throughout the study, participants kept detailed food diaries several times a year, logging every branded product they ate. Researchers used this data, along with laboratory testing and food composition databases, to calculate how much of 58 different preservatives each person was consuming daily.
What the researchers found
Over the course of the study, 5,500 people developed high blood pressure, and 2,450 developed heart disease.
People with the highest consumption of preservatives overall were about 24% more likely to develop high blood pressure compared to those with the lowest consumption. When researchers looked specifically at non-antioxidant preservatives, a category that includes additives like sodium nitrite (found in processed meats) and potassium sorbate (used in baked goods and drinks), the risk was even higher: 29% for high blood pressure and 16% for heart disease.
Interestingly, even antioxidant preservatives, which are sometimes perceived as beneficial, were associated with a 22% higher risk of high blood pressure. One of the most associated culprits was citric acid, a very widely used additive found in everything from soft drinks to canned goods.
The researchers also found that high blood pressure appeared to be one of the mechanisms through which preservatives contribute to heart disease, meaning some of the heart risk may come through the blood pressure effect.
Preservatives
Preservatives are obviously added to food to stop it from spoiling, but at what risk to health? The researchers say their findings should prompt regulators to reassess the safety of these additives.
This type of study can show an association between preservative intake and health risks, but cannot definitively prove that preservatives directly cause these conditions. Other lifestyle factors may also play a role.
How to protect your health
If you’re concerned, the simplest step is to eat more whole, minimally processed foods that you’ve prepared in your own kitchen. Also check ingredient labels for additives like sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, and citric acid. Be mindful of how frequently they appear in your diet.
- Use butter instead of margarine, ideally grass-fed. Margarine or non-dairy spread is often marketed as a healthier alternative to butter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes most margarine is cholesterol free but that’s irrelevant. Margarine is high in oxidized omega 6 rich vegetable oil, which significantly increases inflammation in the body and subsequently causes damage to the arteries. People have been eating butter for hundreds of years; long before cardiovascular disease reached epidemic proportions. Pastured (grass fed) butter is the healthiest option of all because it is rich in certain beneficial nutrients such as vitamin K2, vitamin D, butyrate and conjugated linoleic acid. Butter does contain saturated fat and that can raise your cholesterol, but if you want to get specific, saturated fat can raise your HDL (good cholesterol) and increase large particle LDL cholesterol while reducing small dense LDL (the type implicated in clogged arteries).
- Many people are aware that sugar increases the risk of heart attacks, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, cancer, accelerated aging and many other diseases of modern society. You may not realize that bread is almost as bad as sugar. Most bread has a fairly high glycemic index; that means it raises your blood sugar fairly high fairly quickly. Even wholegrain bread floods your bloodstream with sugar once you’ve digested it. Wheat contains a type of starch called amylopectin A, which is rapidly converted into sugar and likely to promote weight gain around your middle. Gluten free bread isn’t much better because it’s typically made from grains and starches that also have an extremely high glycemic index; these include corn, rice, tapioca and potato. You are best off minimizing bread in your diet and sticking with vegetables, salads, protein and healthy fats; such as in my weight loss book.
- Omega 3 fatty acids are abundantly found in some species of fish and may help to protect you against having a heart attack. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone eats oily fish at least twice a week. This is because the omega 3 fats in oily fish help to keep the arteries clean, reduce inflammation and help to keep blood fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides low. The problem is, not everyone enjoys oily fish. The species richest in beneficial fats include wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herrings and mullet. If you’re not eating these varieties, you may want to take fish oil capsules. Fish oil contains the essential fatty acids called EPA and DHA. DHA is the activated form of omega 3 fats, which is necessary for a healthy heart, healthy brain and joints etcetera. The omega 3 fats in plant foods like flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts are the precursor to DHA and much more difficult for the body to utilize.
- Life can get very stressful or busy at times. Long term stress can have a very detrimental effect on your health, even if you are eating well. If you’re currently unable to make changes in your life to reduce stress, please try and find healthy ways of coping with it. Some examples might include speaking to a friend or counsellor about your concerns, joining a yoga or meditation class; exercising; taking a magnesium supplement (available in tablet or ultra potent powder form), or writing in a journal. It is important to have hobbies and passions in life. Most of us spend a large part of our life at work. It’s important to have things to look forward to; things that inspire you and make you excited about getting out of bed.
If you want to learn more about keeping your heart healthy, see our book Cholesterol: The real truth.
The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
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