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Nitrate Versus Nitrite, How They Affect You!

October 31st, 2009 | admin | new diet

Nitrates are compounds containing the anion NO₃ while nitrites are also compounds containing NO_2. Nitrates are an important part of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrates are found in the soil where they produced from ammonia by nitrifying bacteria such as Nitrosomonas. These nitrites are in turn transformed into nitrates that can be assimilated by plants thru the action of other bacteria such as Nitrobacteria.

Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives added to cured meats such as bacon, hotdog and ham to retard the growth of bacteria and to preserve the flavor and color of the meat. Nitrites clearly serve a useful purpose in the human body that can be converted to nitrosamins; cause in animals but not in human beings. Detachable amounts of nitrosamine – related compounds are found in molt beverages (beer) and cured meats (primarily, bacon).

Natural toxicants include the goitrogens in cabbage, cyanogens in lima beans and solanine in potatoes. These examples of naturally occurring toxicants illustrate 2 familiar principles.

Any substance can be toxic when consumed in excesses
Poisons are poison, whether made by people or by nature.

Remember, it is not the source of a chemical that makes it hazardous, but its chemical structure and the quantity consumed. Antioxidants are preservatives that prevent rancidity of fats in foods and other damage to food caused by oxygen.

Nitrate and nitrites are added to foods for 3 main purposes:

To preserve color, especially the pink color of hot dogs and other cured meats.
To enhance the flavor by inhibiting rancidity, especially incurred meats and poultry.
To protect against bacterial growth.

In a smaller than those needed to amounts confer color, nitrates prevent the growth of the bacteria that produce the deadly botulinum toxin.

Ingestion of nitrates turns into nitrate when it comes into contact with saliva and then down thru the intestinal tract. Adults can change nitrates to nitrites by about 5% while infants can change them by 10% or more. For infants the inability to carry the oxygen thru the blood can cause what is called the “Blue Baby Syndrome”, had has been known to cause brain damage and death. Adults can feel the symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, irritability and blue tones around the eyes, mouth, hands and feet.

Charles Alonso Volcolatte is a health and weight loss researcher for www.readysetweightloss.com. He writes and researches actively on Healthy Diet Weight Loss and shares his knowledge at www.readysetweightloss.com where he works as a staff writer.