On September 8, 2026, a large collaborative study published an article titled “Food additive mixtures and hypertension and cardiovascular disease incidence in the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort” in the journal BMC Medicine. This study, led by the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), also involved some members of the AddiMapping project, which is supported under the PEPR SAMS program.
The NutriNet-Santé cohort has recently helped identify associations between the consumption of various food additives (sweeteners, emulsifiers, nitrites) and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and/or hypertension.
In this study, the authors examined the impact of chronic exposure to mixtures of food additives on the incidence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly cardiovascular accidents (CVA) and coronary heart disease (CHD).
Using data from NutriNet-Santé and its 112,050 adult participants, the study highlights that certain mixtures of additives are associated with an increased incidence of hypertension, CVD, and CHD. Furthermore, it reveals several interactions among the additives in these mixtures, suggesting potential synergistic or antagonistic effects.
Thus, additive mixtures, which are very common in ultra-processed foods, could have an impact on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. This study therefore underscores the need to take these combinations into account in food safety assessments and to limit the use of non-essential additives.
- Marie Payen de La Garanderie, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network
- Anaïs Hasenböhler, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network
- Paola Yvroud-Hoyos, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network
- Fabien Szabo de Edelenyi, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM
- Laurent Bourhis, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM
- Nicolas Dechamp, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM
- Cédric Agaësse, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM
- Alexandre De Sa, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM
- Inge Huybrechts, NACRe Network, WHO
- Fabrice Pierre, NACRe Network, Université de Toulouse – INRAE
- Marc Audebert, NACRe Network, Université de Toulouse – INRAE
- Xavier Coumoul, NACRe Network, Université Paris Cité – Inserm
- Benoit Chassaing, NACRe Network, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité – Inserm
- Chantal Julia, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – AP-HP
- Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network
- Benjamin Allès, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM
- Léopold K. Fezeu, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM
- Jacques Blacher, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – AP-HP
- Serge Hercberg, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network, AP-HP
- Pilar Galan, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network
- Mélanie Deschasaux-Tanguy, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network
- Bernard Srour, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network
- Mathilde Touvier, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité – Inserm, INRAE, CNAM – NACRe Network