WEBVTT - Should You Worry About Nitrates in Your Food?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain stuff, a production of IHEART radio. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain stuff, Lauren Volga bomb here. Nitrates are usually associated

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<v Speaker 1>with processed meats like Bacon or Bologna. But should you

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<v Speaker 1>be worried about them? Perhaps, surprisingly, nitrates are not always bad,

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<v Speaker 1>though of course, everything about nutrition is complicated, so let's

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<v Speaker 1>back up a step. What is a nitrate? A nitrogen,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, is a chemical element necessary for living things

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<v Speaker 1>to survive and grow. Nitrate is one of the nitrogen

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<v Speaker 1>compounds that's used by animals and plants as a source

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<v Speaker 1>of nitrogen. It's chemical formula is n o three, meaning

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<v Speaker 1>it's a nitrogen atom with three oxygen atoms. Nitrite is

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<v Speaker 1>another useful nitrogen compound. It's n o two, or a

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<v Speaker 1>nitrogen atom with two oxygen atoms. For the article, this

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on how stuff work. Spoke with register

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<v Speaker 1>her Dietitian, Chrystin Gillespie. She said nitrates are stable and

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<v Speaker 1>unlikely to cause bodily harm. However, bacteria and enzymes have

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<v Speaker 1>the ability to convert them into nitrites, which may be harmful. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>nitrates can be converted into two types of nitrites, either

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<v Speaker 1>nitric oxide or nitrosamine, which yield very different results in

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<v Speaker 1>the body. A nitric oxide is a good thing, but

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<v Speaker 1>a conversion into nitrosamines is dicey. More on that in

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<v Speaker 1>a minute. A nitrates are often associated with processed meats,

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<v Speaker 1>but those aren't the main source of the compound. In

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<v Speaker 1>most human diets, around eight of the nitrates consumed by

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<v Speaker 1>the average person come from vegetables, including things like beets,

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<v Speaker 1>carrots and leafy Greens like spinach. Nitrates found in vegetables

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<v Speaker 1>are converted into beneficial nitrites when they come into contact

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<v Speaker 1>with bacteria in the mouth. These help produce nitric oxide,

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<v Speaker 1>which causes vasodilation, or widening of the arteries. This widening

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<v Speaker 1>lowers your blood pressure, allowing it to stay in a

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<v Speaker 1>nice and normal range. But nitrates are associated with processed

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<v Speaker 1>meats because they're added as preservatives to prevent botulism, which

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<v Speaker 1>is a potentially deadly form of food poisoning, and nitrates

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<v Speaker 1>help keep the meats looking fresh and pink or rather

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<v Speaker 1>than browned. HASTAF works also spoke with registered Dietitian nutritionist

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<v Speaker 1>Danielle Gaffin. She explained nitrite or nitrate salts, that is,

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<v Speaker 1>sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate potassium nitrite and potassium nitrate are

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<v Speaker 1>used in most cured meat products, especially processed meats like ham,

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<v Speaker 1>hot dogs, Bacon, sausage, Bologna, Salami, smoked fish and cold cuts.

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<v Speaker 1>When added to meat, the Nitrite Molecule chemically reacts with

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<v Speaker 1>the meat to create nitric oxide, which is the agent

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<v Speaker 1>responsible for curing the meat. A nitrate will not cure

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<v Speaker 1>meat until it's converted to nitrite. Naturally occurring nitrates, such

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<v Speaker 1>as those found in vegetables, are believed to be safe

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<v Speaker 1>and even beneficial to consumers. Some studies have shown that

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<v Speaker 1>they may reduce the risk of some cancers and chronic conditions. However,

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<v Speaker 1>nitrates found in foods like cured meats can turn into

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<v Speaker 1>those less desirable nitrites and nitrosomines when they're cooked with

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<v Speaker 1>protein at high temperatures or when combined with stomach acid.

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<v Speaker 1>NITROSAMINES have been found to be potentially carcinogenic, that is,

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<v Speaker 1>cancer causing. However, Gaffin pointed out that, once the concern

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<v Speaker 1>became apparent to the scientific community, the nitrate levels deemed

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<v Speaker 1>acceptable in processing were lowered. As she said, also because

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<v Speaker 1>of this, vitamin C and e are now often added

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<v Speaker 1>to cured meats to help reduce the nitrate reactions in

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<v Speaker 1>the stomach. The other good news is that the average

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<v Speaker 1>person doesn't consume enough processed meats to do too much damage.

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<v Speaker 1>For example, the risk of bowel cancer is pretty small.

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<v Speaker 1>According to article from the BBC, six percent of people

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<v Speaker 1>in the United Kingdom will get bowel cancer at some

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<v Speaker 1>point in their lives. For people who ate fifty grams

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<v Speaker 1>of processed meat, or about three strips of Bacon every day,

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<v Speaker 1>the chance moved to just seven. How stuff works. Also

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<v Speaker 1>spoke with Dr Chris Airy, medical director at the UK

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<v Speaker 1>based optimal. He said, of course, everything in moderation. I

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<v Speaker 1>would say that if your diet is generally unprocessed produced

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<v Speaker 1>rich full of healthy CARBS, fats and proteins, then the

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<v Speaker 1>occasional charcuterie or bacon breakfast won't make or break your health. Remember,

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<v Speaker 1>it's what we do on a daily basis consistently, rather

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<v Speaker 1>than single meals or workouts, contribute the most to our

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<v Speaker 1>overall health. Today's episode is based on the article should

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<v Speaker 1>we be worried about night trates in our food? On

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot com, written by Leah Hoyt. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>stuff is production of I heart radio in partnership with

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot com, and it's produced by Tyler Klang.

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