A major French study involving over 112,000 participants has linked common food preservatives to significant cardiovascular risks, finding that high consumption correlates with a 29% greater risk of high blood pressure and a 16% higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. Published in the European Heart Journal, the research isolated individual additives rather than looking at ultra-processed foods as a single category, revealing that even added “natural” antioxidant preservatives like citric acid and chemically manufactured vitamin C (ascorbic acid) increased hypertension risk by 22%. While experts acknowledge that these additives are crucial for extending shelf life and preventing foodborne illness, the study’s authors suggest that their ubiquity in the modern diet poses long-term health concerns, recommending that consumers protect their heart health by shifting toward fresh or frozen, minimally processed whole foods.
