Inserm Newsroom - Press room of the French national institute of health and medical research
Emulsifiers are among the additives most widely used by the food industry, helping to improve the texture of food and extend its shelf life. Researchers from Inserm, INRAE, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité and Cnam, as part of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (CRESS-EREN), have undertaken to study the possible links between the dietary intake of food additive emulsifiers and the development of cancer. They analysed the health data of 92 000 adults participating in the French NutriNet-Santé cohort study, specifically evaluating their consumption of this type of food additive. The results of this research, published in PLoS Medicine, suggest an association between the intake of certain emulsifiers and an increased risk of cancer – particularly of the breast and prostate.
In Europe and North America, 30 to 60% of dietary energy intake in adults comes from ultra-processed foods. An increasing number of epidemiological studies suggest a link between high intakes of ultra-processed foods with higher risks of obesity, cardiometabolic diseases and certain forms of cancer.
