High intake of nitrites from food additives was associated with a greater risk of developing the disease compared with no intake at all. type 2 diabetes in the NutriNet-Health Studying in France, the researchers report.
However, a few experts not involved in the study question the strength of the findings due to study limitations.
The study involved more than 100,000 adults with an average age of 43 years, 79% of whom were women.
Individuals with the highest intake of nitrite from food additives (top third) had a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than their intake of this food additive during a median follow-up period of 7 years. had a 53% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with the lowest Sugar, red meat, processed meat, heme iron, salt, saturated fat. Nitrate intake from food additives was not associated with type 2 diabetes risk.
“Our findings suggest a direct link between additive-derived nitrite and nitrite. [type 2 diabetes] total dietary nitrites and [type 2 diabetes],” the researchers report in the article. publish online of PLoS Medicine.
However, “as this is the first large-scale study to find these associations, these results should be replicated in other large-scale cohorts,” says the Research Team for Nutritional Epidemiology (EREN-CRESS). Senior author Dr. Mathilde Touvier, responsible for INSERM, INRAE, Sorbonne Paris Nord University, France, and lead author Dr. Bernard Srour, scientist at the same institution, PharmD, said in a joint email: says so. Medscape medical news.
A short-term intervention study to decide insulin resistance You can also test it, they add.
In the meantime, “this study colorectal cancer It is dangerous and supports the importance of further regulation of nitrite as a food additive and nitrogen fertilizer,” they say.
A key message to clinicians, according to Touvier and Srour, is the finding that nitrites from food additives are associated with type 2 diabetes. [limiting] Consumption of processed meat to prevent chronic disease. However, vegetables contain several beneficial compounds that can help prevent chronic diseases, so we should encourage our consumption of them.”
Some experts are skeptical
However, three experts not involved in the study were skeptical of the conclusions, in comments sent to the UK Science Media Centre.
“A fundamental weakness of this study is how the intake of food additives was assessed,” said Tom Saunders, emeritus professor of dietetics and dietetics at King’s College London, UK. Dr. (DSc, PhD) says: “Intake estimates were based on recalls of dietary intake on two separate occasions at the beginning of the study, with no further estimates during more than seven years of follow-up.
Other limitations include the relatively young age of the cohort and the relatively low incidence of new cases of type 2 diabetes (approximately 1% of the study population over 7 years).
Furthermore, intake levels of nitrite food additives are much lower than acceptable daily intakes. Findings should be replicated with appropriate adjustment for body weight differences.
Dr Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Reading, UK, said: “This study does not support the claims in the press release and the paper that food additives are responsible for the increased risk.” .
He states that “nitrites from additives contribute only about 4%-6% of the population’s total nitrite intake, which has a stronger impact on risk than nitrites from other sources.” The reason is not clear,” he said. food and water.
Dr Duane Mellor, Registered Dietitian and Senior Lecturer, Aston University Aston Medical School, UK, said: If people assume that he eats the same for the remaining 363 days of the year, he only has two days of food intake per year. “
Additionally, it is worth noting that the use of nitrite as an additive is often used as sodium nitrite, which is used to treat meats such as bacon, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. People trying to lose weight were advised to eat less. [anyway].”
“The best way to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is to be physically active, maintain a healthy weight, and eat a varied diet based on vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fruits. Whole grains.” Moderate intake of grains, dairy products and meat (especially processed meat).
Survey details
Nitrite and nitrate are mainly used in processed meats as food additives to prevent bacterial growth, and in food (mainly green leafy vegetables) and water (from the use of nitrogen fertilizers nitrates can enter the water supply). Yes) is also included.
Researchers analyzed data from 104,168 NutriNet-Santé participants who were diabetes-free at baseline and who completed a 24-hour food intake log. They investigated the association between exposure to nitrites and nitrates (in food and water or additives) and the development of type 2 diabetes.
Most nitrites came from food (95.3%), less often from food additives (4.7%) and water (< 0.01%). Nitrite in foods mainly came from vegetables (60%) and seasonings (23%).
Also, most nitrates came from food (93%), followed by water (6.9%) and food additives (0.1%). Nitrates in foods came mainly from vegetables (41%), processed meats (19%) and meats (17%).
During a median follow-up of 7.3 years, there were 969 cases of type 2 diabetes.
Compared to individuals with the lowest third of nitrites from food and water, the highest third had a 27% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes after adjusting for multiple variables ( hazard ratio 1.27; P. = .009).
The risk of type 2 diabetes with the highest intake of nitrite from supplements was 53% higher than with the lowest intake, as previously described.
There was no evidence of an association between nitrates and type 2 diabetes risk.
The researchers noted that limitations of the study included potential errors in assessing nitrates and nitrate exposure, potential selection bias (participants in web-based studies exhibited healthier behaviors than the general population). possible), and we acknowledge the inclusion of potential unknown confounders (because it is an observational study). ).
PLoS Med. Published online on January 17, 2023. article
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