Beyond just being loaded with “artery-clogging saturated fat” and sodium, bacon has been long considered unhealthy due to the use of nitrates and nitrites in the curing process. Many conventional doctors, and well-meaning friends and relatives, will say you’re basically asking for a heart attack or cancer by eating the food many Paleo enthusiasts lovingly refer to as “meat candy”.
The belief that nitrates and nitrates cause serious health problems has been entrenched in popular consciousness and media. Watch this video clip to see Steven Colbert explain how the coming bacon shortage will prolong our lives thanks to reduced nitrates in our diets.
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In fact, the study that originally connected nitrates with cancer risk and caused the scare in the first place has since been discredited after being subjected to a peer review. There have been major reviews of the scientific literature that found no link between nitrates or nitrites and human cancers, or even evidence to suggest that they may be carcinogenic. Further, recent research suggests that nitrates and nitrites may not only be harmless, they may be beneficial, especially for immunity and heart health. Confused yet? Let’s explore this issue further.
Find out why you shouldn’t be concerned about nitrates & nitrites in bacon.
Where Does Nitrate/Nitrite Exposure Come From?
It may surprise you to learn that the vast majority of nitrate/nitrite exposure comes not from food, but from endogenous sources within the body. (1)
When it comes to food, vegetables are the primary source of nitrites. On average, about 93% of nitrites we get from food come from vegetables. It may shock you to learn that one serving of arugula, two servings of butter lettuce, and four servings of celery or beets all have more nitrite than 467 hot dogs. (2) And your own saliva has more nitrites than all of them! So before you eliminate cured meats from your diet, you might want to address your celery intake. And try not to swallow so frequently.
All humor aside, there’s no reason to fear nitrites in your food, or saliva. Recent evidence suggests that nitrites are beneficial for immune and cardiovascular function; they are being studied as a potential treatment for hypertension, heart attacks, sickle cell and circulatory disorders. Even if nitrites were harmful, cured meats are not a significant source, as the USDA only allows 120 parts per million in hot dogs and bacon. Also, during the curing process, most of the nitrite forms nitric oxide, which binds to iron and gives hot dogs and bacon their characteristic pink color. Afterwards, the amount of nitrite left is only about 10 parts per million.
And if you think you can avoid nitrates and nitrites by eating so-called “nitrite- and nitrate-free” hot dogs and bacon, don’t be fooled. These products use “natural” sources of the same chemical like celery and beet juice and sea salt, and are no more free from nitrates and nitrites than standard cured meats. In fact, they may even contain more nitrates and nitrites when cured using “natural” preservatives.
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What Happens When You Eat Nitrates and Nitrites
It’s important to understand that neither nitrate nor nitrite accumulate in body. Ingested nitrate from food is converted into nitrite when it contacts our saliva, and of the nitrate we eat, 25% is converted into salivary nitrite, 20% converted into nitrite, and the rest is excreted in the urine within 5 hours of ingestion. (3) Any nitrate that is absorbed has a very short half-life, disappearing from our blood in under five minutes. (4) Some nitrite in our stomach reacts with gastric contents, forming nitric oxide which may have many beneficial effects. (5, 6) You can listen to my podcast “Does Red Meat Increase Your Risk of Death?” for more information on this topic.
In general, the bulk of the science suggests that nitrates and nitrites are not problematic and may even be beneficial to health. Critical reviews of the original evidence suggesting that nitrates/nitrites are carcinogenic reveals that in the absence of co-administration of a carcinogenic nitrosamine precursor, there is no evidence for carcinogenesis. (7) Newly published prospective studies show no association between estimated intake of nitrite and nitrite in the diet and stomach cancer. (8) Nitric oxide, formed by nitrite, has been shown to have vasodilator properties and may modulate platelet function in the human body, improving blood pressure and reducing heart attack risk. (9, 10, 11) Nitrates may also help boost the immune system and protect against pathogenic bacteria (12, 13, 14)
So what do we take from this? There’s no reason to fear nitrates and nitrites in food. No reason to buy nitrate-free, uncured bacon. No reason to strictly avoid cured meats, particularly those from high quality sources (though it may make sense to limit consumption of them for other reasons). In fact, because of concerns about trichinosis from pork, it makes a lot more sense in my opinion to buy cured bacon and other pork products. I do.
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After reading through the comments, I think we need some paleo meat producers to create a delicious bacon (and please do a turkey variety for those who can’t eat pork!) that is MSG and sugar free! And maybe does use the natural nitrites… There seems to be a difference in quality of the meat and digestion. And of course comes from damn healthy animals. Well, healthy until that butcher shows up…
Although this is very likely true, I still prefer the flavors and textures of “naturally cured,” meats. Plus, I’ve found that this is what my local providers usually have available, so I’m going with the bacon and ham that have been cured using traditional methods.
I would have liked you to explain the source of nitrates and and nitrites in conventional bacon. I assume that they are refined chemicals; so I would still buy nitrate and nitrite free organic bacon, in the same way that I avoid refined salt and buy sea salt instead.
Thanks
Chris,
Love your site. Here’s a reason I avoid processed meats–epidemiological evidence points to consumption of processed meats as correlated with telomere shortening.
Of course this evidence is based on population studies with dietary intake recall, but the recall is established and peer reviewed methodology, and the results arise from adjusting for variables of dietary intakes, lifestyle and health factors.
The bottom line from this study is that the more processed meat you eat, the shorter your telomeres, all things being equal. What does that mean in terms of health? I don’t know, but I can’t imagine it is a benefit to longevity, and it may be a marker for cellular aging that could translate into macroscopic aging at some threshold.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/5/1405.full
Of course, I’ve lumped bacon into this category, though the study doesn’t specifically include it in the processed meat group (but ham and sausage are included–in my mind close enough). They do not conclude that the offending components are nitrates, but they suggest it as a commonality among the processed meats.
Interestingly, lunch meats are included. I wonder how many pale/ primal folks eat it as a staple.
Full disclosure: My wife is the lead author of this paper! (Honestly, that is the only reason I’m aware of it.) She would not protest if I decided to eat bacon, but I just can’t imagine the benefits of regular consumption of processed meats outweighing the potential negatives if this paper’s conclusions hold up to scrutiny.
I bring this to the conversation only to add a nuance to the possibility that processed meats are not healthy.
Hi Chris, what about AGE’s in bacon?
Also, this is a completely non related question to anyone willing to clarify: is the sugar in kombucha negligible just as the sugar in bacon is? Do either of these foods cause blood sugar spikes due to the sugar content? Thank you
I am 13 weeks pregnant and have read that nitrates/nitrites should be avoided during pregnancy. Please shed some light on this as there is not speak of pregnancy in regards to eating bacon in the above post. I love bacon, actually ate some this morning (nitrate free…so the package said), but need to know if it should be avoided. Thank you Chris for all the information!
Erica, please do NOT consider this MISLEADING article regrading the nitrates that are causing health issues. To protect your child it is best to stay away from the following ingredients….. MSG (Mono-sodium Glutamate), Aspartame(Phenylalanine), Sodium Nitrite & Sodium Nitrate and many others. The response I wrote regarding this misleading article is as follows….. I was recently informed that many medical brochures are written at a 6th grade level so that the general public will understand them more readily. I have come to the conclusion that it is more prevalent than just medical information. I must congratulate the author of this very misleading article as it is written very well in the fact it NEVER addresses the true “nitrite /nitrate” issue. This article NEVER mentions the SODIUM NITRITE & SODIUM NITRATE that is used in the processing of meats, sausages, etc and that are the root of the health issues many are experiencing. I would like for the author to insert an addendum in writing that states that the SODIUM NITRITE or SODIUM NITRATE used in the processing of meats is safe for consumption and will have no ill effect on ones health. I will be waiting…………… Until then, anyone reading this article be warned that it is VERY MISLEADING. Avoid sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate by reading the ingredient list, it is dangerous and causes numerous health issues.
Hubs & I notice a distinct difference in digestibility of “uncured” (celery juice) bacon & “regular” bacon. Regular tends to stay with us all day, in a not good way. And we like the taste of the “uncured” better, too. I will make a note of the lower temp cooking method to try, though.
Well Chris, you haven’t changed my mind about bacon… I was eating it before. What you have done is eased my mind about it, AND have educated me so that I can continue to educate clients and the people around me.
I have to read the article again, and go through the research… even I am not immune to cognitive dissonance!!
Barb
Hi from Germany,
i have a problem with breakfast bacon here. In all kinds of saussage and bacon contain dextrose, maltodextrose and other suspicious stuff. although the food label shows zero carbs. I seriously want to avoid sugar such as listed above to keep my insulin level under control. But like Dr. Kresser mentioned: bacon is meat candy.
My question is now: where can i get sugar free bacon from? Even here in Germany. The other question is: what if i eat these sugar-bacon strips? will it do harm?
I am happy for every kind of reply
Keep up the good work
I have the same problem here in Greece, so I decided to make my own. See this recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/dining/home-cured-bacon-recipe.html
The taste is a little different, but it’s sugar free (unless you do a cure with honey or maple syrup).
I just had to add my comment- I too have been buying the nitrite free meets at various stores, and while you can get lacto-fermented sausages like Salami, bacon is a little different. Until I found some at the local Farmers market. Pigs mostly raised on pasture with some grain finishing in the end. This bacon is cured with a minimal amount of nitrites and it is the best you will ever eat! It cooks differently and crisps up on low heat, does not shrink like all the other stuff does and just can’t be beat! Reading this helps to knwo that the bit of nitrates/ nitrites I am ingesting are not going to be an issue- although I just don’t eat much processed food in any case, just because I don’t trust it….
The problem is not the nitrites or nitrates but the sugar, molases, high fructoses etc, that they add to give flavour. And let’s don’t forget the diet (GMO grains, soy and by products) they give to the pigs and how they are raised.
Ugh. Covered extensively in prior comments. Got to read ’em all before posting!
http://whole9life.com/2012/03/bacon/
Hi Chris — any comments on these studies linking cured meats and nitrites with lung disease and COPD?
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/content/175/8/798.abstract
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/4/1002.abstract
Both epidemiological studies that don’t prove any causal relationship.
True … but there are quite a few of them. I’m not convinced that bacon and other cured meats are heath food. Even if nitrates and nitrates are shown to be safe, processed and cured meats are higher in sodium, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and advanced glycation end products (all implicated in inflammation and/or cancer).
I eat a more-or-less paleo diet, but I think most paleo bloggers are wrong on this topic — there are plenty of reasons to avoid cured meats.
I still eat them sometimes though — because they’re delicious.
Ugh. I know you are correct and I value your work greatly. But i dunno, maybe it’s just me… but the correlation/causation/epidemiological studies don’t matter thing seems like it has become a nauseatingly convenient cliche in paleo land, an easy out to dismiss of data someone doesn’t agree with. I mean, don’t you cite epidemiological studies in some of your work?
I didn’t say they don’t matter. They are good for generating hypotheses, and there is a huge variation in the quality of epidemiological studies. Those that rely on food frequency questionnaires are notoriously unreliable. In any event, the review paper I cited in this article critically reviews many of these epidemiological studies and reaches the conclusion that there is no association between nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines and cancer – which of course was the point of this article.
Understood. Thanks Chris.
I was recently informed that many medical brochures are written at a 6th grade level so that the general public will understand them more readily. I have come to the conclusion that it is more prevalent than just medical information. I must congratulate the author of this very misleading article as it is written very well in the fact it NEVER addresses the true “nitrite /nitrate” issue. This article NEVER mentions the SODIUM NITRITE & SODIUM NITRATE that is used in the processing of meats, sausages, etc and that are the root of the health issues many are experiencing. I would like for the author to insert an addendum in writing that states that the SODIUM NITRITE or SODIUM NITRATE used in the processing of meats is safe for consumption and will have no ill effect on ones health. I will be waiting…………… Until then, anyone reading this article be warned that it is VERY MISLEADING. Avoid sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate by reading the ingredient list, it is dangerous and causes numerous health issues.
I had cancer as a teenager and now have interstitial cystitis as an after effect of chemo. My doctors have always insisted I avoid meats with nitrates and nitrites because of the interstitial cystitis. From what you’re saying, though, that sounds like complete bunk…
If you google Nitrosamine, cooking, and bacon, there are a number of references to a study that indicate cooking at 210 or 275 did not generate significant levels of nitrosamines, while cooking at 350 or 400, even for short periods, caused higher levels of nitrosamines. It appears these nitrosamines are the potential problem . . . . I guess I will try cooking my bacon at 275 (had been cooking much higher before in the oven 400).
Great! Now I can eat bacon without fear!
What about sulphites? Are those okay to consume? I avoid mustard with sulphites for the same reason I avoided bacon.
What about the hotdog / leukemia connection? Is that tied to the nitrites in dogs?
Hey Chris,how about doing an article on the benefits of Pickled-pork. WAPF supports only eating cured or pickled pork. What is your take on this?
I think that’s overly cautious. As long as the pork is well-cooked, there shouldn’t be an issue.
Well… you guys go on and eat your nitrates… for me? I get MIGRAINES… serious migraines that last for two days. Take the nitrates out of my diet.. no migraines…. so… I guess you can’t convince me that nitrates are good for you, and that naturally occurring nitrates act exactly the same in the blood stream… (no… I don’t get headaches from any of the “natural nitrates” mentioned above) I have had this allergy for over thirty years, and personally applaud the choice to buy nitrate-free meats.
Affects me the same way – especially the plastic vacuum sealed packages of sliced meat from the deli section of the supermarket.
Chris, what about smoked meats and fish. Are these ok?
Also, how to detect in the label the presence of the carcinogenic nitrosamine?