Research has shown that kids who consume over 12 hot dogs per month are about 9 times more susceptible to contracting leukemia.
Studies have now also shown that pregnant
women who eat a single hot dog per week are likely to give birth to a
child that will develop a brain tumor.
What is the problem?
Nitrites and nitrates are used as preservatives in cured meats such
as bacon, salami, sausages and hot dogs. Nitrites, which can form from
nitrates, react with naturally occurring components of protein called
amines. This reaction can form nitrosamines, which are known
cancer-causing compounds. Nitrosamines can form in nitrite or
nitrate-treated meat or in the digestive tract.What is the problem?
Studies have linked nitrites to stomach
cancer (IARC 2010). Some data also suggest an association with cancer of
the esophagus; one study showed an increased risk in people who eat
cured meats more often (Rogers 1995; Mayne 2001).
There is also evidence that nitrites may be associated with brain and
thyroid cancers, but a causal link has not been established
(Preston-Martin 1996; Pogoda 2001; Aschebrook-Kilfoy 2013; IARC 2010).In 2010, scientists at the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer declared that ingested nitrites and nitrates are probable human carcinogens.
The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is currently considering listing nitrite in combination with amines or amides as a known carcinogen.
Some nutritious foods such as spinach and other leafy vegetables are naturally high in nitrates, but human studies on nitrate intake from vegetables have found either no association with stomach cancer or a decreased risk (IARC 2010).
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