What a shock! Nitrates and nitrites in prepared meat linked to cancer!!

[BrklynLiberal]

http://www.execte.com/health/2010/chemicals-in-meat-linked-with-bladder-cancer-03081334.html

Oh..wait a minute...
http://www.nethealthbook.com/articles/causesofesophagealcancer.php
2008

http://coloncancer.about.com/od/cancerresearch/a/02072007.htm
2007

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/processedmeat050305.cfm
2005

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=906992
1999

Actually I read about the connection between nitrates/nitrites in meats and cancer back in the 70's and 80's..but I guess it all depends on what you were reading.

[trotsky]

1. Better avoid spinach, carrots, and many other vegetables too.

Nitrates are present in most of them.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Comparing nitrates/nitrites in prepared and cured meats to those naturally found in vegetables is

comparing apples and orangutans....

[trotsky]

6. Actually, they're the same.

Which you would understand if you had a basic knowledge of chemistry.

[DeSwiss]

8. We're all trying to help each other here. At least most of us are.

Nitrates in Vegetables

2002-03-01

Heavy applications of nitrogen fertilizer can cause nitrates to accumulate in vegetables

Vegetables are a high-value crop. Farmers tend to apply large amounts of fertilizers, especially nitrogen. This is a reasonable insurance against yield losses from nutrient deficiencies, especially if fertilizers are fairly cheap. However, applying too much nitrogen fertilizer may be bad for human health.

Nitrates are nitrogen-oxygen chemical units which combine with various organic and inorganic compounds. Once taken into the body, nitrates may be converted into nitrites. Crops containing high levels of nitrates can be identified by laboratory tests. However, they appear normal to the eye. Nitrates in vegetables and fruit have no taste or smell.

Nitrates occur naturally in fruit and vegetables, but only in small quantities. They can rise to high levels in intensively grown crops. Organic vegetables are no safer than conventional crops, in this respect. As far as nitrates are concerned, it makes no difference whether the nitrogen comes from compost or from chemical fertilizers. Organic vegetables sometimes receive more than thirty tons of compost a year, and may contain high levels of nitrate.

There is a strong relationship between the amount of nitrogen applied to the crop, and the level of nitrates in the plant. Nitrate levels are also affected by the season, and even the time of the day. There is some evidence that nitrate levels in produce are very high in countries with a cold climate, where most vegetables are grown under structures.

High levels of nitrate in food or drinking water are known to be dangerous to babies in the first three months of life. They cause the blood to carry less oxygen, and the infant may suffocate. Older children and adults are not affected in this way. However, the prolonged intake of high levels of nitrate is linked to gastric problems, due to the formation of nitrosamines.

Such compounds have been found to cause cancer in animals. The same may be true of human beings. Of particular concern is the possible link between fruit and vegetables with a high nitrate content, and cancer of the gullet. A current study in Scotland is examining the possibility that human saliva may be converting nitrates into carcinogens, which come into force at the gastro-oesphageal junction.

[trotsky]

9. Thank you for bringing some facts in.

Hopefully they will help.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trotsky]

11. Hey, thanks!

Look - the thing here is that I want issues to be brought up, but I want progressives to UNDERSTAND those issues. Uninformed fear-mongering, spreading misinformation, DOES NOT HELP THINGS. But feel free to fling insults and names at me instead of bolstering progressive credibility - I'm sure it makes you feel better.

[Odin2005]

12. nitrate ions are nitrate ions. doesn't matter where they come from.

The 1800s called, they want their Vitalist BS back.

[mzmolly]

18. Agreed. Vegetables have vitamin C etc. which inhibits the formation of N-nitroso compounds.

Q. Some vegetables contain nitrites, do they cause cancer too?

A. It is true that nitrites are commonly found in many green vegetables, especially spinach, celery and green lettuce. However, the consumption of vegetables appears to be effective in reducing the risk of cancer. How is this possible? The explanation lies in the formation of N-nitroso compounds from nitrites and amines. Nitrite containing vegetables also have Vitamin C and D, which serve to inhibit the formation of N-nitroso compounds. Consequently, vegetables are quite safe and healthy, and serve to reduce your cancer risk.

Q. Do other food products contain nitrites?

A. Yes, all cured meats contain nitrites. These include bacon and fish.

Q. Are all hot dogs a risk for childhood cancer?

A. No. Not all hot dogs on the market contain nitrites. Because of modern refrigeration methods, nitrites are now used more for the red color they produce (which is associated with freshness) than for preservation. Nitrite-free hot dogs, while they taste the same as nitrite hot dogs, have a brownish color that has limited their popularity among consumers. When cooked, nitrite-free hot dogs are perfectly safe and healthy.

http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/food/hotdogs.htm

Granted food producers now add ascorbic acid/vitamin c to food in hopes of mimicking the protective action of fruits and vegetables. I think time may tell if this is effective or not?

[Jeanette in FL]

2. I must have been reading the material as you

As soon as I read your title, I said to myself, jeez we knew that back in the 70's for goodness sake. Thank goodness, even back then when I still did eat meat, I didn't eat that crap.

How are you doing? :hi:

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Not too bad, thanks.

I think it has been hotter and more humid up here than down there....
I want to move to someplace where it never goes over 70 degrees LOLOLOLOLOLO

[Warpy]

3. I guess they think if they announce the big news every year

for 30 years, maybe it will sink in. It was front page news in the late 70s and it's front page news now. We're all gonna die!

They don't realize that a lot of people eating the luncheon meats and hot dogs can't afford anything better.

[DeSwiss]

7. K&R

Not to mention whatever cancers and other nefarious negative medical impacts which are very likely being caused by the http://www.epa.gov/endo/">80,000+ endocrine disruptors that we have yet to begin analyzing since Congress passed the law to do so in 1996!

[Lorien]

13. The unrecc trolls are working on you too, eh?

denial won't change the truth.

[Goldstein1984]

14. The Trolls from Oscar Mayer, Louis Rich, Hickory Farms, Ballpark

[Lorien]

15. This place has nearly as many corporate lackeys as it has Democrats these days. nt

[Goldstein1984]

16. Pro-Corporate America

Pro-Imperialism
Pro-War
Anti-Labor
Anti-Teacher
Anti-Liberal

But there are still a lot of great people carrying the torch. As the election gets close and message control increases, that torch is going to get harder to carry.

[Lorien]

17. That's why we need to make election and campaign finance reform a top priority

We all need to stop talking about it and start demanding it: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8875395 These corporate interests effect everything-right down to the safety of our food supply!

[mzmolly]

19. Apparently some here are pro-cancer?

It's downright bizarre.

[Tumbulu]

20. I know, I have avoided cured meats since the late 60's when it began to

be clear it was bad for a person. And I cannot imagine why anyone eats that stuff- it is horrible tasting, but I guess it keeps a long time.

[Dorian Gray]

21. Mmm.....

Italian cured meats. Mortadella. Prosciutto. Pancetta. Coppa. Braseole. And I almost forgot Guanciale! Yum.

Probably full of nitrates, and I don't eat them often, but they are cured meats I would happily eat!

[Tumbulu]

22. You are right, there certainly are good cured meats

and since "everything in moderation" is the ticket, I bet a healthy properly functioning body can handle them.

I have a very weak liver, can't drink alcohol and even kombucha and kefir give me a buzz....so I avoid as many things that I can that require detoxifying.

[Dorian Gray]

23. Of course

I didn't mean to "taunt" about the good ones, either. It's just difficult to resist a good cured meat for me, even when I know they are not the best things to eat. (Though while pregnant, I am abstaining from the cured cold cuts.)