<\/p>\n
Bacon receives a cancer warning. Spinach comes with a nutrition label. Both contain nitrates and nitrites, the same group of compounds that have been linked to stomach cancer risk since the 1990s.<\/p>\n
This contradiction has puzzled researchers for decades. A Canadian mathematical model traced the chemical reactions leading up to digestion and found that it was not the nitrate itself that was important, but what was present with it.<\/p>\n
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The compounds in question are nitrates and nitrites. They’re ubiquitous in grocery stores, found in cured meats as preservatives, found naturally in leafy and root vegetables, and sometimes even found in tap water via farm runoff.<\/p>\n
Nitrates are beneficial in small amounts. They support vascular function and are involved in nerve signal transmission. A chemical reaction becomes suspicious for the first time when it encounters stomach acid.<\/p>\n
Researchers have been tracking this link to cancer since the 1990s. When we examined the evidence, we found inconsistencies throughout. Some populations that consume large amounts of nitrates have higher rates of cancer. Others display nothing at all.<\/p>\n
In the stomach, some nitrites undergo a reaction called nitrosation. They are combined with food proteins to produce a series of substances known as N-nitroso compounds. Some are suspected of causing cancer in the intestines.<\/p>\n
This chemistry has been documented for decades. What scientists couldn’t determine was why bacon increased the risk of stomach cancer in the same laboratory measurements, while spinach seemed harmless.<\/p>\n
These compounds enter the body in similar amounts. It reaches the same stomach. Something else must be making the difference.<\/p>\n
Dr. Gordon McNicol, a postdoctoral fellow in applied mathematics at the University of Waterloo, led a team that tried a different approach. Instead of another dietary study, they built a computer model of the gastrointestinal tract.<\/p>\n
This model covered four compartments: salivary glands, stomach, small intestine, and bloodstream. We tracked nitrate and nitrite passing through each in real time, taking into account meal timing, stomach acid, oral bacteria, and vitamin C intake.<\/p>\n
Models cannot replace clinical trials. What it can do is what a trial cannot do – cut out all the competing variables and isolate just one at a time.<\/p>\n
Vitamin C, the model showed, is at the center of the puzzle. The presence of nitrates in the same diet as nitrates is thought to interfere with reactions before dangerous compounds are formed.<\/p>\n
That’s the description of a plate of leafy vegetables. Spinach contains a large amount of nitrates, but vitamin C is also found in the same leaves. <\/p>\n
According to this model, the two would reach the stomach together, and the vitamin could block the reaction before it could proceed.<\/p>\n
Other studies of nitrate-rich produce suggest the same pattern without explanation. Until this study, no one had drawn up an equation to precisely track how vitamin C blocks chemicals in the living digestive system.<\/p>\n
The image changes when you use salted meat. Bacon, salami, deli slices, hot dogs – same nitrates and nitrites, but no protection. Meat does not contain vitamin C, which slows down the reaction, so there is nothing to inhibit it.<\/p>\n
According to this model, the compounds would reach the stomach unrestricted and react with proteins in the meat to form the N-nitroso compounds that researchers are concerned about. <\/p>\n
Two foods can behave like completely different substances even though they contain the same amount of nitrate. Same molecule, different fate.<\/p>\n
This finding is also consistent with concerns about nitrate-contaminated water lacking a combination of antioxidants.<\/p>\n
Another study found a link between nitrates in water and the risk of stomach cancer. New chemistry offers one possible explanation.<\/p>\n
The model has evolved further. It tested what would happen if someone ended a nitrate-rich meal (bacon and eggs, deli sandwiches) with a vitamin C supplement.<\/p>\n
The results showed a moderate reduction in hazardous compounds produced downstream. Although it is smaller than when vitamin C is incorporated into food, it is still measurable. Timing seems to be important.<\/p>\n
For people who regularly eat cured meat and don’t want to give up, the results suggest practical adjustments. Have an orange with the bacon. Add tomatoes to sandwich.<\/p>\n
The Waterloo study is a simulation, not a clinical trial. Dr. Anita Leighton, professor of applied mathematics and Canada 150 Research Chair, said the next stage of human research will require sharper questions.<\/p>\n
“This model can help researchers design more targeted experiments and interventions by focusing on when and in whom nitrosation is most likely to occur,” Leighton said. Chemistry suggests where to look first.<\/p>\n
Until now, the debate over nitrates and cancer has lacked a clear chemical explanation. This study provides one such example. Vitamin C works differently in each meal, so the same compound may seem harmful in bacon but harmless in spinach.<\/p>\n
For people who eat every day, take-out is easy. Leafy greens and citrus fruits may protect you from dangerous chemicals. Cured meat without vitamin C-rich garnishes is more likely to have the opposite effect.<\/p>\n
This research is published in the journal theoretical biology<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for fascinating articles, exclusive content and the latest updates.<\/p>\n Check us out on EarthSnap, the free app from Eric Ralls and Earth.com.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2013<\/p>\n<\/div>\n #Research #shows #vitamin #supplements #meal #positive #effect #reducing #cancer #risk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bacon receives a cancer warning. Spinach comes with a nutrition label. Both contain nitrates and nitrites, the same group of compounds that have been linked to stomach cancer risk since the 1990s. This contradiction has puzzled researchers for decades. A Canadian mathematical model traced the chemical reactions leading up to digestion and found that it … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1029,1485,1588,595,2055,552,773,1216,580,579],"class_list":["post-843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cancer","tag-effect","tag-meal","tag-positive","tag-reducing","tag-research","tag-risk","tag-shows","tag-supplements","tag-vitamin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drouki.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}