French Study Links Some Food Preservatives to Higher Cancer Risk, Prompting Calls for Review

The authors emphasize that the findings are associative, not causal.

Overview

Using data from 105,260 adults in the NutriNet-Santé cohort tracked for about 7.5 years, researchers reported small but significant associations between higher intake of certain additives and cancer incidence.
Potassium sorbate (E202) was linked to a 14% higher overall cancer risk and 26% higher breast cancer risk, and sodium nitrite (E250) was associated with a 32% higher risk of prostate cancer.
Of 17 preservatives examined individually, 11 showed no significant association with cancer, and no link was found between total preservative intake and overall cancer incidence.
The research team urges health agencies to reevaluate additive safety, with options such as tighter use limits or clearer labeling, and encourages manufacturers to avoid unnecessary preservatives.
A separate long-term analysis published in Nature Communications reported a 47% higher risk of type 2 diabetes with higher preservative intake, as experts caution about observational limits and broader ultra-processed dietary patterns.