There are some good reasons to give up deli meat, but the nitrates added to increase its shelf life may not be one of them.
In the 1970s, nitrates were linked to cancer, but recent studies do not show a link, said Rebecca Richards, registered dietitian and nutrition instructor at Weber State University and Stevens Henager College in Ogden.
Nitrates can cause cancer in a "rat gut," said Joan Thompson, associate professor of nutrition at Weber State University. But studies today show any cancer risk in deli meat comes from the carcinogens in smoked meat and the saturated fat in animal products, she said.
Still, Rod Hansen, also an associate professor of nutrition at Weber State University, would rather err on the side of caution.
Protein and nitrate create nitrosamines in the gastrointestinal tract, he said -- and nitrosamines have caused cancer in lab animals.
Comments