About 1 in 10 Americans, or more than 37 million, have diabetes, and 90–95% of them have type 2 diabetes. People over 45 are most likely to get type 2 diabetes, but it is becoming more common among kids, teenagers, and young adults, according to the CDC.

A new study, published today in the journal PLOS Medicine, suggests a link between consuming nitrites in food and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The research was conducted by a team led by Bernard Srour of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN-CRESS) at Inserm, INRAE, Cnam, and Sorbonne Paris Nord University in Bobigny, France.

Both nitrites and nitrates are found naturally in water and soil and are commonly consumed through drinking water and food. They are also added to food as preservatives to prolong shelf life.

Some public health experts recommend minimizing nitrites and nitrates in meals. However, little is known about how dietary nitrites and nitrates affect metabolic dysfunction and type 2 diabetes in people.

Researchers used information from 104,168 people who were a member of the prospective cohort NutriNet-Santé to look at the link between nitrites/nitrates in the diet and the development of type 2 diabetes.

Web-based cohort study NutriNet-Santé began in 2009. Participants aged 15 and up sign up on their own and report their medical history, sociodemographic information, diet, lifestyle, and any major changes in their health.

The study analyzed the correlation between self-reported dietary habits and health outcomes using comprehensive nitrite/nitrate exposure obtained from various databases and sources.

Researchers found that people in the NutriNet-Santé cohort who ate more nitrites in general and especially from food additives and other sources were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

There was no link between nitrates and the risk of type 2 diabetes, and the results did not show that nitrites or nitrates in food could help protect against type 2 diabetes.

The study has certain limitations and further research is needed to confirm the findings. The data used in the study were based on self-reported information and the researchers were unable to verify the specific nitrite/nitrate exposure using biological markers due to the complexities involved.

In addition, the cohort’s demographics and habits may not be generalizable to the rest of the population, since the cohort consisted of a disproportionately large number of younger, more often female individuals who demonstrated better behaviors.

Because the study was an observational one, residual confounding may have also had an effect on the results.

These findings “provide a new piece of evidence in the context of current discussions regarding the need for a reduction of nitrite additives’ use in processed meats by the food industry, and could support the need for better regulation of soil contamination by fertilizers,” according to the authors. 

“In the meantime, several public health authorities worldwide already recommend citizens to limit their consumption of foods containing controversial additives, including sodium nitrite.

“This is the first largescale cohort study to suggest a direct association between additives-originated nitrites and type-2 diabetes risk. It also corroborates previously suggested associations between total dietary nitrites and T2D risk.”

Source: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004149

Image Credit: Getty