According to a newest study, children who eat more than 12 hot dogs within a month have 9 times higher chance of leukemia. The study has also shown that pregnant women who eat one hot dog weekly increase their risk of giving birth to a child who may develop brain tumor.
Why are hot dogs harmful?
According to food experts, nitrites that are formed from nitrates and put into cured meat for preservation, are known to react with naturally-occurring ingredients of protein, that is, amines. This reaction results in the formation of nitrosamines, carcinogenic compounds. The nitrosamines may form in the nitrite or nitrate-treated meat or in the digestive tract.
Another study has associated nitrites with stomach cancer whereas other research data points to a connection of nitrites with esophagus cancer. Evidence exists about the association between thyroid and brain cancer and nitrites, but a cause hasn’t been determined.
In 2010, experts from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer stated that nitrites and nitrates are potential carcinogens whereas the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is considering listing nitrite as a carcinogen.
Important to note
Foods like spinach and some other leafy veggies have a high amount of nitrates; however, studies on nitrate intake from veggies have found no link between the nitrates from veggies and stomach cancer, but neither a reduced risk.