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  1. Preventing COPD with Diet Preventing COPD with Diet April 27, 2012

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is now the third leading cause of death. The good news is that in addition to smoking cessation there are dietary interventions that can help prevent COPD.

  2. So Should We Drink Beet Juice or Not? So Should We Drink Beet Juice or Not? March 5, 2012

    In the context of a healthy plant-based diet, the nitrates in vegetables can safely be converted into nitric oxide, which can boost athletic performance and may help prevent heart disease.

  3. Vitamin C-Enriched Bacon Vitamin C-Enriched Bacon March 2, 2012

    The addition of vitamin C to processed (cured) meats such as bacon may actually make them more carcinogenic.

  4. Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat February 29, 2012

    The levels of nitrosamines—considered the most carcinogenic agents in cigarette smoke—were recently measured in an array of processed meats including chicken, turkey, and pork.

  5. Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients? Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients? February 28, 2012

    Phytonutrients such as vitamin C prevent the formation of nitrosamines from nitrites, which explains why adding nitrite preservatives to processed meat can be harmful, but adding more vegetables and their nitrite-forming nitrates to our diet can be helpful.

  1. Bacon and Botulism Bacon and Botulism February 27, 2012

    The nitrite preservatives in processed meats such as bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs form carcinogenic nitrosamines but also reduce the growth of botulism bacteria, forcing regulators to strike a balance between consumers risking cancer or a deadly form of food poisoning.

  2. When Nitrites Go Bad When Nitrites Go Bad February 24, 2012

    Nitrites in processed meat form nitrosamines, a class of potent carcinogens found in cigarette smoke, which may explain why hot dog consumption has been associated with the two leading pediatric cancers, brain tumors and childhood leukemia.

  3. Is Bacon Good or Is Spinach Bad? Is Bacon Good or Is Spinach Bad? February 23, 2012

    If the nitrates in vegetables such as greens are health-promoting because they can be turned into nitrites and then nitric oxide inside our bodies, what about the nitrites added to cured meats such as bacon, ham, and hot dogs?

  4. Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash February 15, 2012

    The natural flora on our tongue (lingual bacteria) is essential for the athletic performance-enhancing effect of the nitrates in vegetables such as beetroot.

  5. Priming the Proton Pump Priming the Proton Pump February 14, 2012

    To understand how beets could reduce the oxygen cost of exercise while improving athletic performance, one must review the biochemistry of energy production (ATP synthase) and the body’s conversion of nitrates to nitrites into nitric oxide.