Nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines are a group of carcinogens related to certain nitrogen compounds. The most common example of these compounds is s altpeter, which is added in small amounts to sausages, ham, cheese products, and many types of smoked meats and fish.
What is the danger of this supplement?
S altpeter is a nitrosamine, obtained by the decomposition of nitrate by chemical reactions. Because of the danger posed by this chemical compound, s altpeter has been replaced worldwide with nitrates containing ascorbic acid.
Contrary to popular belief, nitrates themselves are not dangerous. But when converted to nitrites and nitrosamines, this substance poses a serious threat to humans. Stomach cancer, which is common among the Japanese, is caused not only by asbestos used in rice cleaning, but also by the habit of eating large quantities of smoked fish containing high amounts of nitrosamines.
What can I do to reduce the harm of nitrosamines?
The danger of nitrosamines is exacerbated by substances such as aflatoxins and other mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are toxic metabolic products of some fungi. Their influence is especially strong on the body, in which there is a lack of vitamins C and E, which are blockers of these compounds. In other words, nitrosamines are poison, the neutralizers of which are antioxidants, that is, vitamins C and E.
If you can’t completely give up smoked foods, then eat more fruits and vegetables along with them, such as salads with cabbage, green onions, tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, beets, horseradish and herbs. Vary your diet with oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits, strawberries, blackcurrants, and other antioxidant-rich plant foods. It is worth supplementing your diet with foods containing retinol (vitamin A) and tocopherol (vitamin E).
When do nitrates turn into nitrites and nitrosamines?
As already mentioned, nitrates are not dangerous. If you drink enough water, they will be excreted from the body by themselves. Nitrosamines are products of the chemical decomposition of nitrates that are dangerous to our body. A negative chemical reaction in the body occurs when a person has low acidity or gastritis of the stomach and intestines. The elderly and infants are most susceptible to this phenomenon. The baby's first food must be grownon soil without fertilizer. Another factor in the formation of nitrites and nitrosamines is the lack of proper hygiene, so make sure your child follows it. Consume only fresh juices or store them in the freezer so your food doesn't become a breeding ground for bacteria. In the first three months of a child's life, you need to be very careful to ensure that there are no nitrites and nitrosamines in his food.
Where else can nitrites and nitrosamines be formed? Determination of nitrosamines
Nitrogen fertilizers, which can be found in large quantities in the soil, can cause the formation of nitrites and nitrosamines in vegetables, fruits and cereals grown on it. The amount of nitrates that foods can accumulate in themselves depends on their age and variety. The content of nitrosamines in young plants is many times higher than in mature ones.
In early spring and autumn, when the water level in the rivers becomes higher, and the fields are fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers in large quantities, nitrates and nitrites fall into wells and reservoirs. Any milk, regardless of the quantity and quality of disinfection measures taken, always contains microorganisms, which, when water is added or milk is diluted directly by the consumer, easily turn into nitrates and nitrites, gradually turning into nitrosamines.
What is the harmful effect of nitrosamines on the body
From all sides we are told about the negative impact of nitrates on the body, but whatwhat exactly is it?
The composition of nitrates is similar to the coloring substances of the blood (heme), which is why they easily turn into methemoglobin. It only looks like hemoglobin, but does not have its main property - to transport oxygen through the blood through the body and its organs. There is a kind of replacement of hemoglobin with methemoglobin, if the amount of the latter exceeds the norm, then the body experiences oxygen starvation.
The worst thing is that an excess of methemoglobin will not be indicated to you by tests, in which its absence will not be shown, but by a brown-blue tint of the skin around the lips, gradually spreading throughout the body. If the amount of methemoglobin is very large, then signs of poisoning appear - nausea, vomiting, rapid breathing, anemia can sometimes develop. Antioxidants and vitamin A can help with treatment and prevention.
