1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain stuff, a production of IHEART radio. Hey, 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: brain stuff, Lauren Volga bomb here. Nitrates are usually associated 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: with processed meats like Bacon or Bologna. But should you 4 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: be worried about them? Perhaps, surprisingly, nitrates are not always bad, 5 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:26,639 Speaker 1: though of course, everything about nutrition is complicated, so let's 6 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: back up a step. What is a nitrate? A nitrogen, 7 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: of course, is a chemical element necessary for living things 8 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 1: to survive and grow. Nitrate is one of the nitrogen 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:40,840 Speaker 1: compounds that's used by animals and plants as a source 10 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: of nitrogen. It's chemical formula is n o three, meaning 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: it's a nitrogen atom with three oxygen atoms. Nitrite is 12 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: another useful nitrogen compound. It's n o two, or a 13 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: nitrogen atom with two oxygen atoms. For the article, this 14 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: episode is based on how stuff work. Spoke with register 15 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: her Dietitian, Chrystin Gillespie. She said nitrates are stable and 16 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: unlikely to cause bodily harm. However, bacteria and enzymes have 17 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 1: the ability to convert them into nitrites, which may be harmful. Indeed, 18 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: nitrates can be converted into two types of nitrites, either 19 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: nitric oxide or nitrosamine, which yield very different results in 20 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: the body. A nitric oxide is a good thing, but 21 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: a conversion into nitrosamines is dicey. More on that in 22 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: a minute. A nitrates are often associated with processed meats, 23 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: but those aren't the main source of the compound. In 24 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: most human diets, around eight of the nitrates consumed by 25 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: the average person come from vegetables, including things like beets, 26 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: carrots and leafy Greens like spinach. Nitrates found in vegetables 27 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: are converted into beneficial nitrites when they come into contact 28 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: with bacteria in the mouth. These help produce nitric oxide, 29 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: which causes vasodilation, or widening of the arteries. This widening 30 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 1: lowers your blood pressure, allowing it to stay in a 31 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: nice and normal range. But nitrates are associated with processed 32 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: meats because they're added as preservatives to prevent botulism, which 33 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: is a potentially deadly form of food poisoning, and nitrates 34 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: help keep the meats looking fresh and pink or rather 35 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: than browned. HASTAF works also spoke with registered Dietitian nutritionist 36 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: Danielle Gaffin. She explained nitrite or nitrate salts, that is, 37 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate potassium nitrite and potassium nitrate are 38 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: used in most cured meat products, especially processed meats like ham, 39 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: hot dogs, Bacon, sausage, Bologna, Salami, smoked fish and cold cuts. 40 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: When added to meat, the Nitrite Molecule chemically reacts with 41 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: the meat to create nitric oxide, which is the agent 42 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: responsible for curing the meat. A nitrate will not cure 43 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: meat until it's converted to nitrite. Naturally occurring nitrates, such 44 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: as those found in vegetables, are believed to be safe 45 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: and even beneficial to consumers. Some studies have shown that 46 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: they may reduce the risk of some cancers and chronic conditions. However, 47 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: nitrates found in foods like cured meats can turn into 48 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: those less desirable nitrites and nitrosomines when they're cooked with 49 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: protein at high temperatures or when combined with stomach acid. 50 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: NITROSAMINES have been found to be potentially carcinogenic, that is, 51 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: cancer causing. However, Gaffin pointed out that, once the concern 52 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: became apparent to the scientific community, the nitrate levels deemed 53 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: acceptable in processing were lowered. As she said, also because 54 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: of this, vitamin C and e are now often added 55 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: to cured meats to help reduce the nitrate reactions in 56 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: the stomach. The other good news is that the average 57 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: person doesn't consume enough processed meats to do too much damage. 58 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: For example, the risk of bowel cancer is pretty small. 59 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: According to article from the BBC, six percent of people 60 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: in the United Kingdom will get bowel cancer at some 61 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: point in their lives. For people who ate fifty grams 62 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,839 Speaker 1: of processed meat, or about three strips of Bacon every day, 63 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 1: the chance moved to just seven. How stuff works. Also 64 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: spoke with Dr Chris Airy, medical director at the UK 65 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:24,280 Speaker 1: based optimal. He said, of course, everything in moderation. I 66 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: would say that if your diet is generally unprocessed produced 67 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: rich full of healthy CARBS, fats and proteins, then the 68 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: occasional charcuterie or bacon breakfast won't make or break your health. Remember, 69 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: it's what we do on a daily basis consistently, rather 70 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: than single meals or workouts, contribute the most to our 71 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 1: overall health. Today's episode is based on the article should 72 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: we be worried about night trates in our food? On 73 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com, written by Leah Hoyt. Brain 74 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: stuff is production of I heart radio in partnership with 75 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com, and it's produced by Tyler Klang. 76 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: Four more podcast my heart radio. This is the I 77 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: heart radio APP, apple podcasts or wherever you listen to 78 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 1: your favorite shows. H