Nitrites used as a preservative in processed meats promote gastrointestinal tumors, according to a new animal study. Digest
Mice that regularly ate nitrite-containing frankfurters developed 75 percent more gastrointestinal tumors than those that ate regular mouse food, according to a new study. The frankfurter-eating mice also gained more weight.
Researchers fed mice regular mouse chow or mouse chow combined with either nitrite-free pork, nitrite-free pork sausage, or nitrite-containing frankfurter (a type of hotdog). After the mice had been on their respective diets for eight weeks, the researchers counted the animals' gastrointestinal tumors and gut microbes. They also assessed the animals' metabolic status.
Mice that ate the nitrite-containing frankfurter had 75 percent more tumors in their duodenum (the first part of the small intestine) and 88 percent more tumors in their ileum (the last part of the small intestine) than those that ate regular chow. They had 191 percent more tumors in their ileum than mice that ate nitrite-free pork. These mice also had less diversity in their gut microbes and weighed more than mice that ate regular chow.
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Nitrites are commonly used to preserve meat. They lend the characteristic pink color to ham, sausage, bacon, and other processed meat products. In the body, nitrites can undergo transformation into nitric oxide, which is beneficial for human health, or nitrosamines, which can be harmful to health, depending on the level of exposure. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies nitrites as probable carcinogens.
The findings from this study suggest that regular, long-term consumption of nitrite-containing processed meats increases the risk of tumor development in the gut.