As science catches up with our menus, we’re discovering more and more previously vilified foods are not nearly as bad as we once thought. Take whole eggs, for example. Yes, you caneat the yolk(in moderation, of course).
A new paper published in the May 2023 edition ofTrends in Food Science & Technologysets out to clear the air about another misunderstood feature of food. The TL;DR? When nitrates are consumed via vegetables, it’s very likely that they benefit heart health. That’s the opposite effect of nitrates that appear as additives in processed meats, which are known carcinogens, according to theWorld Health Organization.
Read on to learn more about the best and worst sources of nitrates, according to this new research.
What Are Nitrates and Are They Bad for Your Health?
What This New Nitrate Study Found
In their latest report,Catherine Bondonno, Ph.D., a senior research fellow at Edith Cowan University in Australia, and a team of scientists from Australia, Austria and Denmark set out to separate nitrate fact from fiction based on the current evidence.
It all comes down to the source, Bondonno tellsEdith Cowan University news: “Our clinical and observational studies support nitrate preventing cardiovascular disease, if it’s sourced from vegetables.” In this review, the researchers aimed to help clarify that certain nitrates actually offer health benefits, such asboosting muscle strength.
That ’70s science was not the most reliable; it involved animal studies that reported a small incidence of malignant tumors associated with some—but not all—nitrates. This research showed that nitrates formed N-nitrosamines that contributed to cancer.
However, unlike nitrates added to processed meats, nitrate-rich veggies deliver healthy doses of vitamin C, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and polyphenols that could “inhibit formation of those harmful N-nitrosamines associated with cancer,” Bondonno continues. (Nitrates from plants have also been shown to help regulate blood pressure and improve circulation; two factors that can promote athletic performance andheart health.)
More research is needed to modernize and adjust the current dietary recommendations, Bondonno says: “The public are unlikely to listen to messages to increase intake of nitrate-rich vegetables if they are concerned about a link between nitrate intake and cancer.”
Since processed meats have been linked to a whole host of health harms, includingdementiaand heart disease, it’s wise to limit how much you eat, “but whether it’s the nitrate in them that is causing the problem or something else, we don’t know. It just further emphasizes the need to investigate dietary nitrate to clarify the message for people,” she explains in the press release. “The potential cancer link was raised 50 years ago; now it’s time to conduct an in-depth analysis to distinguish fact from fiction.”
From there, the researchers say it’s important to triple-check that consuming a lot of vegetable-based nitrates doesn’t pose more of a risk than eating a moderate amount. One cup of raw or ½ cup of cooked nitrate-containing vegetables like leafy greens or beets is enough to benefit heart health, the review confirms.
“High-dosage nitrate supplements are already used to improve physical performance in sport, while vegetable nitrate extracts are being added to cured meat products with a ‘clean label’ claim, purporting to be better for you,” Bondonno says in the press release. “So we really need to get this right. [People are] probably thinking, ‘If I can’t have a salad, what CAN I have?'”
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The Bottom Line
Eat the spinach. According to a new scientific review, not all nitrates impact health in the same way. Vegetables with nitrates are likely a net wellness win, and the nitrates in them may actually benefit heart health. Nitrates in processed meat products may be detrimental to health, however, and could increase the risk for certain cancers. More research, including studies performed on humans, is needed overall.
Until we know more, there’s no need to fear nitrates found naturally in plants like beets, spinach, arugula and lettuce. Eat processed meats like bacon, sausage and cold cuts in moderation, if at all.
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