Certain emulsifying food additives have been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
- Emulsifiers are among the most commonly used additives in ultra-processed products to improve their appearance, taste, texture and shelf life.
- The consumption of certain emulsifying food additives is associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to a new French study published in PLoS Medicine.
- “These results bring key new knowledge to the debate on the re-evaluation of regulations relating to the use of additives in the food industry,” say the authors of the research.
The consumption of certain emulsifying food additives is associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to a new study published in PLoS Medicine.
French researchers from Inserm, INRAE, Sorbonne Paris Nord University, Paris Cité University and Cnam have undertaken to study this potential association.
Cancers and emulsifying food additives: why such research?
In Europe and North America, 30 to 60% of adults’ dietary energy intake comes from ultra-processed foods. “More and more epidemiological studies suggest a link between high consumption of ultra-processed foods and an increased risk of obesity, cardiometabolic diseases and certain cancers”first remind the scientists.
Emulsifiers are among the most commonly used additives in these foods to improve their appearance, taste, texture and shelf life. They are often added to pastries, cakes, desserts, ice cream, candy bars, breads, margarines and prepared foods.
Emulsifying food additives: +46% risk of prostate cancer
The results mentioned at the start of the article are based on the analysis of data from 92,000 French adults (average age 45 years; 79% women) who participated in the NutriNet-Santé study between 2009 and 2021.
After an average follow-up of 7 years, the researchers found that higher intakes of monoglycerides and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471) were associated with increased risks of cancer overall (i.e. an increase of 15% in the risk among the most high consumers compared to the lowest consumers), breast cancers (a 24% increase in risk) and prostate cancers (a 46% increase in risk). On the other hand, women with higher intakes of carrageenans (E407 and E407a) had a 32% greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to the group with lower intakes.
The authors of the study indicate at the end of their report that their work has certain limitations. “For example, the high proportion of women within the cohort and their high level of education may limit the generalizability of the results,” they write.
“These results nevertheless bring key new knowledge to the debate on the reassessment of regulations relating to the use of additives in the food industry in order to better protect consumers,” conclude Mathilde Touvier, research director at Inserm, and Bernard Srour, junior professor at INRAE.
Check out our digital video work,
only an account creation is required to access it.
