Harm or benefit: New study sheds light on impact of nitrate food

While navigating the confusing maze of nutrition, nitrate is the only crossroads that still leaves even experts in confusion and doubt. There was a time when nitrate was seen as a dark figure lurking in our meals, and early research hinted at nitrate’s sinister role in creating the conditions for cancer to develop, Phys.org reports.

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However, thanks to new research, our understanding has changed. Dietary nitrate has another bright side, which reveals its ability to promote cardiovascular health and prevent sinister diseases such as heart disease, dementia and diabetes. How can the same nutritionist wear so many different masks? The answer seems to lie in the mystery that Edith Cowan University’s Research Institute for Nutrition and Health Innovations is trying to unravel.

Conducting a comprehensive review of nitrate research, Dr. Katherine Bondonno says the origin of nitrates is critical. “Nitrates in our diet come from three main sources: meat, water, and vegetables,” she explains.

In the 1970s, two groundbreaking studies demonstrated nitrate’s ability to convert to cancer-causing N-nitrosamines in laboratory animals, demonstrating it to be a health hazard. However, Dr. Bondonno notes that this threat has not been confirmed by human studies. On the contrary, clinical data and observational studies have shown that nitrate found in vegetables may actually be beneficial in combating cardiovascular disease.

“We’re examining all the intricacies of this problem, looking for new ways to solve this puzzle from 50 years ago,” he emphasizes.

Despite growing evidence that nitrate’s effects depend on its source, our dietary recommendations from the 1970s do not make such a distinction. While initial research has linked nitrate to cancer in laboratory animals, Dr. Bondonneau argues that nitrate is not a monolithic substance to be stigmatized.

Vegetable nitrate, unlike its meat and water counterparts, is armed with a protective vitamin C and polyphenols that can potentially inhibit the formation of harmful N-nitrosamines. Dr. To review the recommendations, Bondonno insists we need to do more research to address the public’s fear of nitrate-induced cancer, which could discourage consumption of nitrate-rich vegetables.

“There is an urgent need to ensure that greater intake of nitrate-rich vegetables does not increase cancer risk,” he emphasizes. He points to the widespread use of high-dose nitrate supplements in sports and the addition of herbal nitrate extracts to clean-label meat products.

So what is left for us in our daily food choices? Dr. Bondonno acknowledges the justified confusion given the divided opinions of experts on nitrates.

“Indeed, ‘What do I get if the lettuce is off the menu?’ You might be wondering.”

Despite the ongoing controversy, current evidence compels us to get our nitrate intake from vegetables. “Think dark green leafy vegetables and beets. Just one cup of raw or half a cup of cooked vegetables per day seems to be good for cardiovascular health,” she advises.

“We know that processed meat is no, but we can’t say for sure if the nitrate is the real culprit or just a scapegoat,” he adds. Emphasizing the need for more study of dietary nitrate, she concludes: “The nitrate-cancer puzzle was first put together 50 years ago. It’s time to dig deeper to separate fact from fiction.”

Previously Focus He wrote about nitrites in drinking water. Researchers have published an article on common dangerous supplements and their association with a deadly disease.