Table 1. Baseline characteristics of study participants from the NutriNet-Santé cohort, 2009–2021 (N = 92,000).
| Sex-specific tertiles of total emulsifier intakesa | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Low intake | Medium intake | High intake | p-valueb | |
| Number of participants | 92,000 | 30,667 | 30,666 | 30,667 | |
| Age (years), Mean (SD) | 44.5 (14.5) | 46.2 (14.7) | 44.9 (14.6) | 42.5 (13.9) | <0.001 |
| Women, N (%) | 72,270 (78.6) | 24,090 (78.6) | 24,090 (78.6) | 24,090 (78.6) | |
| Height (cm), Mean (SD) | 166.7 (8.1) | 166.3 (8.1) | 166.5 (8.1) | 167.3 (8.2) | <0.001 |
| Missing values, N (%) | 789 (0.01) | 261 (0.01) | 228 (0.01) | 300 (0.01) | |
| BMI (kg/m 2 ), Mean (SD) | 23.7 (4.4) | 23.6 (4.4) | 23.7 (4.4) | 23.8 (4.6) | <0.001 |
| Missing values, N (%) | 789 (0.01) | 261 (0.01) | 228 (0.01) | 300 (0.01) | |
| Family history of cancer, N (%) | 29,679 (32.6) | 10,324 (34.1) | 9,990 (32.9) | 9,365 (30.8) | <0.001 |
| Missing values, N (%) | 950 (0.01) | 387 (0.01) | 271 (0.01) | 292 (0.01) | |
| Education level, N (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Less than high school degree | 14,917 (16.3) | 5,520 (18.2) | 5,023 (16.5) | 4,374 (14.4) | |
| <2 years after high school | 14,172 (15.5) | 4,961 (16.3) | 4,664 (15.3) | 4,547 (14.9) | |
| ≥2 years after high school | 62,156 (68.1) | 19,911 (65.5) | 20,731 (68.2) | 21,514 (70.7) | |
| Missing values, N (%) | 755 (0.01) | 275 (0.01) | 248 (0.01) | 232 (0.01) | |
| Smoking status, N (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Never | 41,776 (45.4) | 12,814 (41.8) | 14,068 (45.9) | 14,894 (48.6) | |
| Former smoker | 37,500 (40.8) | 13,032 (42.5) | 12,668 (41.3) | 11,800 (38.5) | |
| Current smoker | 12,686 (13.8) | 4,805 (15.7) | 3,921 (12.8) | 3,960 (12.9) | |
| Missing values, N (%) | 38 (<0.001) | 16 (<0.001) | 9 (<0.001) | 13 (<0.001) | |
| IPAQ physical activity level, N (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Low | 25,836 (32.5) | 9,074 (34.4) | 8,693 (32.5) | 8,069 (30.5) | |
| Moderate | 34,399 (43.2) | 11,211 (42.5) | 11,527 (43.1) | 11,661 (44.0) | |
| High | 19,364 (24.3) | 6,090 (23.1) | 6,527 (24.4) | 6,747 (25.5) | |
| Missing values, N (%) | 12,401 (13.5) | 4,292 (14) | 3,919 (12.8) | 4,190 (13.7) | |
| Number of biological children, Mean (SD) | 1.3 (1.2) | 1.3 (1.2) | 1.3 (1.2) | 1.2 (1.2) | <0.001 |
| Baseline menopausal status, N (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Post-menopausal | 17,679 (24.5) | 6,828 (28.3) | 6,095 (25.3) | 4,756 (19.7) | |
| Pre-menopausal | 54,591 (75.5) | 17,262 (71.7) | 17,995 (74.7) | 19,334 (80.3) | |
| Use of hormonal treatment for menopause, N (%) | 3,204 (3.5) | 1,215 (4) | 1,102 (3.6) | 887 (2.9) | <0.001 |
| Use of oral contraception, N (%) | 20,384 (22.2) | 5,993 (19.5) | 6,786 (22.1) | 7,605 (24.8) | <0.001 |
| Energy intake without alcohol (kcal/d), Mean (SD) | 1,836.4 (443.8) | 1,705.2 (411.7) | 1,824.5 (406.9) | 1,979.5 (466.9) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 7.9 (11.7) | 8.6 (13) | 7.9 (11.4) | 7.2 (10.7) | <0.001 |
| Total lipid intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 81.8 (24.8) | 75.7 (23.5) | 81.3 (23.1) | 88.4 (26.1) | <0.001 |
| Sodium intake (mg/d), Mean (SD) | 2,726.1 (870.7) | 2,576.5 (866.1) | 2,738.3 (835.2) | 2,863.5 (886.2) | <0.001 |
| Fibre intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 19.5 (7.1) | 19.3 (7.8) | 19.3 (6.7) | 19.9 (6.8) | <0.001 |
| Sugar intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 92.9 (32.6) | 82.9 (31) | 91.9 (29.3) | 104 (33.8) | <0.001 |
| Fruit and vegetable intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 408.5 (218) | 421.9 (237.1) | 403.1 (205.4) | 400.4 (209.4) | <0.001 |
| Wholegrain food intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 34.4 (45.4) | 38.1 (50.8) | 33.7 (42.7) | 31.3 (42) | <0.001 |
| Total dairy intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 198.1 (147) | 187.8 (148.5) | 199.6 (142.6) | 206.9 (149.2) | <0.001 |
| Red and processed meat intake (g/d), Mean (SD) | 101.9 (59.3) | 99.8 (62.6) | 101.8 (57.1) | 104.2 (58) | <0.001 |
| Ultra-processed food intake (% daily weight intake), Mean (SD) | 17.2 (9.6) | 14.2 (8.9) | 17.3 (8.9) | 20.2 (10.0) | <0.001 |
| Total emulsifier intake (mg/d), Mean (SD) | 4,275.2 (3,080.1) | 1,524.6 (720.5) | 3,687.1 (645) | 7,614 (2,909.7) | <0.001 |
a Cut-offs for total emulsifier intakes 2,701.3 and 5,162.5 mg/d in men and 2,618.5 and 4,790.6 mg/d in women.
b Obtained from χ2 tests for categorical variables and ANOVA tests for continuous variables.
ANOVA, analysis of variance; BMI, body mass index; IPAQ, International Physical Activity Questionnaire.
Contributions of individual food additive emulsifiers to intakes of total emulsifiers, absolute intakes of emulsifiers (in mg/d), and correlations between intakes of individual emulsifiers are presented in Fig 2 and Table 2, and eFigure A in S1 Appendix, respectively. A total of 32 individual emulsifiers were consumed by <5% of the included participants and were therefore not studied individually in relation to cancer risk (Table 2). These emulsifiers were, however, included in the calculations of total and groups of emulsifier intakes. Finally, dietary sources of total emulsifiers were varied, with main contributors including processed fruits and vegetables, cakes and biscuits, and dairy products (Fig 3, eTable A). eTable B in S1 Appendix provides mean intakes of each emulsifier in each category of intake, and category cut-offs are provided in footnotes to eTable B in S1 Appendix.