Sodium Nitrate is a meat preservative used since 1920, widely in United States. In 1970, the journal 'Nature' reported that the nitrites we consume may be reacting in our bodies to form nitrosomines. Nitrosomines belong to a scary family of chemicals. No fewer than seventeen nitrosomines are "reasonably acticipated to be human carcinogen" by U.S National Toxicology Program. When the article published concluded that nitrites help form nitrosomines in the body, thereby implying that they help to cause cancer, people became alarmed.
Nitrate and nitrite have been used for curing meat for centuries, and remain the most effective method to reduce bacterial growth and kill botulinum spores. Major concern emerged in the 1960s [Link to article], with the demonstration of carcinogenic dimethylnitrosamine formation (known to disrupt nucleic acids in the rat and cause liver tumours [Link to article]) from sodium nitrite. However, chronic feeding of nitrite to rats, even when diethylamine was given at the same time, did not induce tumours [Link to article].
There’s a lot of confusion about nitrates, nitrites (read that again, the first is spelled with an A, the latter with an I), health and exercise performance. A lot of endurance athletes take beet root concentrate as an ergogenic aid because it increases nitric oxide production, which improves oxygen efficiency and endurance. But wait, aren’t nitrates and nitrites those things in processed meats that supposedly cause cancer? What’s the difference? Nitrates (NO3) have 1 nitrogen atom and 3 oxygen atoms. They are converted into Nitrites (NO2) in the body after one oxygen atom gets plucked off. Nitrites can turn into 1 of 2 things 1) nitric oxide (beneficial for the body) or 2) nitrosamines, which can be harmful. They’re naturally occurring compounds in the human body and some foods such as vegetables. Manufacturers also use them as a preservative.
Quite independently of the nitrate/nitrite field, several in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that red beet/beetroot extract has protective effects in various cancer cell lines, such as prostate and breast, liver, lung, oesophagus and skin [Link to Article #1 ; Link to Article #2 ; Link to Article #3].These effects of beetroot (juice) have generally been ascribed to betanin, the major betacyanin constituent, which has strong antioxidant activity, and is particularly high in betalain extracts obtained from hairy root cultures of the red beetroot B. vulgaris [Link to article]. Beetroot may represent a particularly safe source of dietary nitrate, with the potential to reduce, rather than increase cancer risk. Indeed, beetroot juice has even achieved a considerable degree of acceptance as an alternative medicine for cancer patients [Link to article; Link to article].
Next time you grab a glass of beet-juice, RELAX!
Nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation has been shown to improve cardiovascular and cognitive function in younger and older adults via increased nitric oxide production. Beetroot juice contains high levels of nitrate (NO3−) which can be converted into the bio-active form, nitric oxide (NO).Nitric oxide plays a major role in many signaling pathways and biological processes, including improving neuro-transmission and blood flow, alterations in mitochondrial oxygen consumption, promotion of cognitive benefits, mood and cardiovascular function. Aging leads to a decline in body processes and functions resulting in increased blood pressure, reduced blood flow, and reduced oxygen delivery to the muscle. All of these measures have been shown to be improved following Beetroot supplementation in both younger and older adults.
