cohort studies

1 entry tagged cohort studies. All writing.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 Do Common Food Preservatives Raise Blood Pressure and Heart Risk? A French cohort of 112,395 adults, followed a median of 7.9 years, found that the heaviest consumers of preservative food additives developed hypertension and cardiovascular disease at higher rates than the lightest. Eight individual preservatives were each tied to high blood pressure, including sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, citric acid and — oddly — ascorbic acid, plain vitamin C. This is a cohort study, so it shows association, not proof of cause. Here is what the numbers actually say, and how the eight show up on an American ingredient panel.

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