Do you know about nitrite? Nitrites exist in many kinds of food, such as sausage, bacon, even in vegetables. Nitrites are regarded as carcinogenic recently. Is it true?
1. Nitrite won't directly cause cancer.
The precursor of nitrite is nitrate. Nitrate is a kind of inorganic salt which can be widely found in nature. Nitrate exists in foods such as vegetables, beans and even water. Nitrite is not carcinogenic itself, and it can also be used as a preservative in food.
So why is nitrite related to cancer? How can something that doesn't cause cancer be related to it? The answer is, amine. When nitrite enters the stomach, it will encounter amine, a protein decomposition product. The two will have a chemical reaction and produce carcinogenic nitrosamines, which possibly cause digestive tract cancer.
Therefore, the best way to reduce the amination is to reduce intaking nitrite.
2. How to reduce the consumption of nitrite from food.
Nitrite exist in vegetables. So how to reduce the amount of nitrites in vegetables?
For green leafy vegetables, the best way is to reduce the time of storage. It's better to e
t as quickly as possible after you buy it. Secondly, it is better to wash the vegetables before storage, which can reduce carrying bacteria.
Nitrite is not carcinogenic. However,it is toxic. Excessive intaking of nitrite (0.2-0.5g) can oxidize hemoglobin into methemoglobin, thus leading to hypoxia and poisoning.
Therefore, it's better to eat less food that have a lot of nitrites, especially the following kinds.
① Brightly colored sausages.
In order to make meat look better and extend their shelf life, some merchants use a large amount of nitrites as preservative to keep the meat a good look.
②Overnight vegetables
Green leafy vegetables produce more nitrites over time, so try to eat fresh vegetables. In addition, cooked vegetables that are placed for more than 8-10 hours also contain more nitrites, so it is better not to eat overnight vegetables.
③ Fresh pickles
Nitrites will be produced in the process of curing vegetables, but the amount of them will decrease later. Usually after half a month, the nitrites will gradually decrease. So it is better to wait for the pickles to be cured for enough time before you eat them.
4. Is it bad to drink overnight tea?
Overnight tea is regarded as unhealthy by some people. However, it is identified that the amount of nitrites in overnight tea is much lower than the sanitary standard for drinking water (nitrite ≤1mg/L). That is to say, overnight tea is drinkable.
In fact, tea itself has a great amount of vitamin C and tea polyphenols, which are the natural agents that can inhibit nitrosamines. Therefore, there is no scientific evidence for the claim that overnight tea causes cancer.
As long as it is in the moderate range, nitrite will not affect human health. However, according to the opinions of nutrition, vitamins and various oxidation substances in food will be lost over time, so it is better to reduce the consumption of overnight food.
