'Avoid food with added preservatives if you can'
4,226 people developed cancer, mainly breast, prostate, colorectal and other cancers. Higher preservative ingestion was related to increased cancer incidence. The results tend to suggest that people would be likely better off avoiding processed food and make their own minimally processed food.
Food preservatives are extensively used in the modern food industry to inhibit microbial growth and slowing the chemical changes that lead to spoilage. Nitrates and nitrites that are added to processed meats have long been a concern as they are proven to cause cancer in animals. The NutriNet-Santé study showed a modest raise in cancer incidence (1.16) comparing the lowest intakes of various preservatives and the highest intakes.
There has been a recent move towards more natural preservatives eg rosemary extract, and this indeed gave a lower risk of colorectal cancer in the study. Researchers think that higher intake of fruit and vegetables can mitigate the risk of cancer from eating such products as processed meats.
Preservatives offer clear benefits by extending shelf life, lowering food costs, and may be more affordable to many people. The harms could be offset to some extent by setting stricter limits on the use of preservatives, clearer labelling, and listing all additives on these labels. Public health messages already advise limiting alcohol and processed meat, but could go further to include highly processed foods."
h/t Diabetes Diet Blog here
You can see the study referred to above "Intake of food additive preservatives and incidence of cancer: results from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study" on the BMJ research site here
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Important
Please note articles (and any comments) within this blog are provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your GP or local health care team/provider.
All the best Jan
All the best Jan
32 comments:
It's very scary what has been done to our food supply. Sometimes we are not even sure what we are eating. Good post. Thanks
Hi dear Jan, thank you so much for posting this! I have seen so many foods with sugar or some kind of sweetener as the first ingredient and it can be frightening. I hope you have a lovely week ahead!
Yes, all the processed food is certainly not good for our systems. Thank you for the reminder.
Thank you for this post Jan, it is a great reminder why we should try to avoid the processed food. Staying healthy is everything. Have a great week ahead.
Wren x
Never heard of rose merry extract.
There are more and more preservatives in food, and this is not healthy, but I increasingly wonder what is still healthy today. I think they are slowly killing us this way. I wish a nice start to the week!
I was once told the best foods you can eat, are those without a list of ingredients. X
Good to know.
The list of unpronounceable ingredients on the labels of some foods is just scary. I wish I had more faith that our CFIA keeps harmful ingredients out of our food.
God article, I'm not wrapped in food having presentives at all, Jan.
You see these added preservatives everywhere—it’s terrible. I think it’s excellent to raise awareness about just how harmful they are. I try to use as few of them as possible.
Thanks, Jan—this is a very important topic.
I have a good day, hugs Elke
I noticed the diet for dialysis patients, the preservatives are to be avoided.
Years ago, I am sure most foods came with preservatives. I tend to look at ingredients now. Take care, enjoy your day and the new week ahead.
This study adds to the growing evidence that while preservatives and ultra-processed foods improve convenience and shelf life, a diet centred on fresh, minimally processed foods with abundant fruit and vegetables remains the most prudent long-term strategy for reducing cancer risk.
My personal complaint is that preservatives listed on packaging are in such tiny print I can barely see them.
I think we've lost our way with food, it would be no bad thing to go back to the way of our grandparents, growing and cooking our own food, and buying fresh the things we can't grow ourselves. We live in a world of speed and convenience.
Eat as 'cleanly' as you can.
I try to cook whenever I can, just to be sure. But then you never know what´s in the "fresh" articles! We live in a crazy world... And our balcony is too small to plant legumes.
...I'm with River!!!
Thanks
Good info, as always!
Thanks for sharing. Sadly, so much of our food is not good for us.
When I worked in the bakery business over 45 years ago, we had preservatives but also learned that a little vinegar did as much to retard mold as the chemicals.
Wow, it was enlitening to read your article, but also the many comments.
I don't eat meat of any sort. Sadly they are everywhere. Jeez it is scary to think what they are putting into our foods.
We haven't to eat processed food. They are dangerous. In addition, when I eat processed food I feel bloated. Great post.
All sounds good to me!!
Sure makes you think, doesn't it?
Eating clean food is the best for sure.
Eating as clean as possible is the trick. However, our food has been killing us for decades. It's so hard to get away from sugar, salt, and other additives. Thank you for this post.
It's good information!
We have stopped eating any meats with nitrates and such in them, thankfully many are making them free of them lately.
I'm trying to keep away from foods with preservatives though I'm not always successful.
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