zmsdc-blog

[zmsdc-blog]

Do Preservatives Preserve Your Health?

Sodium nitrate/nitrite (NaNO3/NaNO2), also known as nitrous acid or sodium salt, is a common preservative found in many lunch meats across America. Foods like bacon, hot dogs, deli meats, and jerky all contain this compound to help eliminate and deter any bacteria from growing on the food, thus increasing the food’s “shelf-life.” To clarify, nitrates and nitrites differ only by one nitrogen atom. Actually, nitrates turn into nitrites after digestion in the stomach, and both are made in the body for necessary nitrogenous functions. Problems occur when nitrites build up to toxic levels, producing an acute situation like methemoglobinemia, or a chronic situation like cancer. Other compounds that preserve similar foods include sodium benzoate, sodium sulfite, and sulfur dioxide.

           Nitrates and nitrites have also been found in ground water in areas of heavy farm fertilization. This has given rise to multiple cases of sodium nitrate toxicity after ingestion of well-water. It seems like all the cases concerning nitrate/nitrite toxicity have to do with animals. In July of 2018, a father and adolescent daughter made homemade beef jerky using a sodium nitrate salt bought at the local grocery store. After ingestion, both developed palpitations, dyspnea, and mucosal cyanosis, diagnosed clinically as methemoglobinemia, commonly referred to as blue-baby syndrome. Another study in July of 2000 reported two cases of blue-baby syndrome where the involved infants developed methemoglobinemia after being fed formula that was reconstituted with well-water. Methemoglobinemia occurs in acute nitrite toxicity due to the excess nitrite in the blood deactivating hemoglobin, causing red blood cells to not be able to carry and distribute oxygen throughout the body.

           Nitrates and nitrites have also been found to occur “naturally” in some fruits and vegetables due to exposure of the compound during the fertilization process. Although usually unharmful upon ingestion, some research is pointing to the possible carcinogenic effects that may occur when heating these foods. Upon heating, nitrites interact with N-alkyl-amides to form N-nitroso carcinogens, or carcinogenic nitrosamines. There is much debate as to whether nitrates and nitrites cause cancer in animals, so many food companies now add Vitamin C (a natural nitrosamine inhibitor) to their products to help inhibit any nitrosamine formation from the heating of nitrates and nitrites. Regardless of the debate, the International Agency for the Research of Cancer (IARC), a subset of the World Health Organization, has classified nitrates and nitrites as “probably carcinogenic” to humans. However, this has not deterred the complete elimination of the compound in the industry of food preservation. Food Standards Australian and New Zealand (FSANZ) allow small amounts of nitrates and nitrites for food preservation due to its belief that the risk of adverse health effects from botulism-contaminated food is greater than small amounts of the preservative compound producing cancer over time. Safety assessments are performed on a regular basis by FSANZ for companies that want to use nitrates and nitrites, requiring the company to show that the amount used will not form hazardous amounts of nitrosamines from high temperature heating. The U.S. Department of Agriculture views these risks in a similar fashion, limiting 200 parts per million of nitrite preservatives to meat, by weight.

           Many studies have been conducted showing the correlation between cancer and processed meat consumption, specifically prostate and colorectal cancer. Too much meat in the diet correlating to colorectal cancer would make sense, but what about prostate cancer? The prostate is far-removed from the gastrointestinal tract, so how could there be a correlation between the consumption of meat and pancreatic cancer? These questions have prompted research to focus on other factors, including how the meats are made/processed. One study showed that there is a higher correlation between increased pancreatic risk and the consumption of fried, grilled, cured, or smoked meat. Another study showed that there was no correlation between the consumption of meat that was not fried, grilled, cured, or smoked and the risk of pancreatic cancer. These studies conclude that the risk of pancreatic cancer is not related to the consumption of meat, but rather how that meat is cooked and/or processed, with many researchers believing the link is due to nitrite preservation.

           Although the risk of cancer is prevalent in many areas of society, it is impossible to determine those who acquired cancer (specifically of the colorectal and prostatic types) due to long-term nitrite toxicity. Acute methemoglobinemia due to nitrite toxicity, however, has more concrete documentation. The first documented case of acute methemoglobinemia from a nitrate-contaminated well occurred in 1945, and about 2,000 other similar cases occurred through the 1970s. Sporadic cases occurred from the 1980s through the 2000s, with today’s cases being very rare.

Avoiding nitrite toxicity is easy day-to-day, especially if he or she does not have access to well-water or make their own jerky with sodium nitrate. However, over the course of one’s life, many precautions can be taken to decrease the risk of cancer caused by long-term nitrite exposure. Common grocery store chains offer deli meats with no added nitrates or nitrites, sometimes referred to as “uncured.” Healthier, organic preservatives are available, including sea salt, celery juice, and a combination of sodium alginate and calcium lactate. Remember, a toxicity is an excess of a specific compound, so consuming some nitrites in moderation, especially in their natural form, will probably not have any adverse physiological effects in the short-term or long-term.

References:

Chan, Thomas Y.k. “Vegetable-Borne Nitrate and Nitrite and the Risk of Methaemoglobinaemia.” Toxicology Letters, vol. 200, no. 1-2, 2011, pp. 107–108., doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2010.11.002.

“Do Food Preservatives Cause Cancer?” Cancer Council NSW, 1 Feb. 2018, www.cancercouncil.com.au/86049/cancer-information/general-information-cancer-information/cancer-questions-myths/food-and-drink/food-preservatives-do-not-cause-cancer/.

“Environmental Health and Medicine Education.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=28&po=10.

Fan, Anna M., et al. “Evaluation of the Nitrate Drinking Water Standard with Reference to Infant Methemoglobinemia and Potential Reproductive Toxicity.” Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, vol. 7, no. 2, 1987, pp. 135–148., doi:10.1016/0273-2300(87)90024-9.

Knobeloch, Lynda, et al. “Blue Babies and Nitrate-Contaminated Well Water.” Environmental Health Perspectives, vol. 108, no. 7, 2000, p. 675., doi:10.2307/3434890.

Mensinga, Tjeert T., et al. “Health Implications of Exposure to Environmental Nitrogenous Compounds.” SpringerLink, Springer, 23 Aug. 2012, link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00139709-200322010-00005.

Nöthlings, Ute, et al. “Meat and Fat Intake as Risk Factors for Pancreatic Cancer: The Multiethnic Cohort Study.” JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 97, no. 19, 2005, pp. 1458–1465., doi:10.1093/jnci/dji292.

Theobald, Jillian L., et al. “The Beef Jerky Blues.” Pediatric Emergency Care, 2016, p. 1., doi:10.1097/pec.0000000000000917.

[zmsdc-blog]

Cause-and-Effect.... In Tiny Places

The chiropractic principle #17 states: Every effect has a cause and every cause has effects. This is true for literally everything in the universe, but in this entry, I am going to focus on biochemistry in the human body. The three major macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids) are regulated at many different levels, thus displaying a cause-and-effect relationship. For example, glucose (carbohydrate) metabolism in the body is regulated at different levels, so that the body creates enough energy, or does not create too much. Glycolysis, or the oxidation of glucose to pyruvate, is regulated in all cells. In the liver, an enzyme, called glucokinase, allows glucose to be absorbed into the liver cell. This enzyme adds a phosphate to the glucose molecule, allowing the cell to be absorbed. The cause of changing the molecule's structure effects the function of the cell. However, this process needs to be regulated. Imagine ingesting a lot of carbohydrates at one sitting. If glycolysis was not regulated, the body would continue to oxidize glucose, creating too much energy and overloading cells with glycogen (glucose storage in the cell). Due to innate intelligence, the body has a regulation for this, so that excess glucose is stored as fat instead, via the inhibition of the TCA cycle. The cause of ingesting too many carbohydrates effects the body's metabolism for the benefit of the entire organism. As you can see, biochemistry is literally a system of cause-and-effect. Every reaction causes an effect in the body to start another reaction. Biochemical processes are regulated, so that a reaction does not occur when it is not needed. Innate intelligence governs all life, allowing principle 17 to be expressed, even at the molecular level.

[zmsdc-blog]

The Essence of Truth

Every human being has a purpose here, but few choose their own purpose. Although everyone has this ability, fate is usually the common thought for deciding one’s purpose. In order to create your own purpose, you must find a common theme to all the decisions you make in life. What is your “why?” What drives you toward the future you envision for yourself?

My why is to find and work towards the truth in everything.

Having debilitating lower back pain is an anomalous condition for a 19 year old in college. Finally, after many deep massages, stretching, injections, and drugs, I found chiropractic- the care system that changed my life. I have continued this care for five years and will forever. Not only has my lower back issue been eliminated, but my acid-reflux has vanished; I can think clearer; I am happier; I feel whole. I achieved awesome results, but more importantly, I discovered the truth behind the health of the human body- that every system works optimally when there is no interference to the nervous system. Chiropractic cleared my nervous system, thus clearing the fog distorting my true purpose. As a student at Sherman College of Chiropractic, this truth has only become more transparent, as I dive deeper into the science, art, and philosophy of chiropractic.

Although chiropractic is seemingly taking over my life (not a bad thing), I can also apply my “why” to every other aspect of my thoughts and decisions. Finding the truth in everything has led me to think for myself, based on factual information, and to always question the norm. With the ability to access vast amounts of information at one’s fingertips, it is all too easy to read something and immediately believe it, even if the information comes from a “credible” source. I challenge you to dig and dig and dig, until you find the information that lights up your mind and correlates with your beliefs, so that you can find and live your life guided by your purpose.