Nitrites, which are commonly found in water and used as food additives, may be associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a study in PLOS Medicine.
“We aimed to study these associations in a large population-based prospective cohort study, distinguishing foods and water-originated nitrites/nitrates from those from food additives,” the report reads.
More than 100,000 adults from the French NutriNet-Santé cohort study were recruited for the research.
What researchers determined: “The findings of this large prospective cohort did not support any potential benefits for dietary nitrites and nitrates. They suggested that a higher exposure to both foods and water-originated and additives-originated nitrites was associated with higher T2D risk in the NutriNet-Santé cohort.”
“This study provides a new piece of evidence in the context of current debates about updating regulations to limit the use of nitrites as food additives. The results need to be replicated in other populations.”
