Sodium Nitrate in Meat: Risks, Benefits & Alternatives

Sodium nitrate, also known as sodium nitrite, is an additive used to cure and preserve meats. It's both a salt and an antioxidant. It is commonly found in hot dogs, bacon, ham, salami, bologna and poultry products.

Function

• Manufacturers add sodium nitrate to meat products for the purpose of preventing botulism by inhibiting the growth of the bacteria that causes it. The additive also helps keep meats from spoiling quickly. Without it, cured meats wouldn't have the same color or flavor. According to the website MeatSafety.org, cured meats must be made with nitrates, by definition.

Dangers

• According to Phil Lempert, food editor at the TODAY show, "nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds" when cooked. It's thought that these carcinogenic compounds increase the risk for stomach, pancreatic and colorectal cancers. A study published in "Public Health Nutrition" found substantially increased incidents of brain cancer in children of women who ate a large amount of cured meats while pregnant.

Considerations

• Meat is not the only consumption source of sodium nitrate. Due to pollution from fertilizers and manure runoff, nitrates can be present in drinking water. They also exist naturally in green leafy vegetables, like spinach, and root vegetables, such as potatoes. It's possible that other elements in the vegetables stop the formation of N-nitroso compounds.