Colorectal cancer: A food could significantly increase the risk

Created: 01/11/2023 10:18 am

By: Jana Ballweber

A common ingredient in many sausage and meat products could increase the risk of colon cancer.

A recent study shows that.

Belfast - The fact that red and highly processed meat is bad for your health seems to be common knowledge for many people.

But as is often the case with nutritional issues, the reality is a bit more complicated.

In 2015, the World Health Organization classified red meat as probably carcinogenic.

Colon cancer in particular, one of the most common forms of cancer in Germany, is repeatedly attributed to the consumption of meat products.

A recent study on mice now shakes this picture.

Because here it was above all a food that promoted the growth of intestinal tumors.

Cancer: does sodium nitrite increase the risk of colon cancer?

Researchers at the University of Belfast fed mice different types of meat.

The mice all showed tumor growth in the intestine at the beginning of the study.

One group was then given nitrite-free pork mixed into their feed for eight weeks, another group nitrite-free pork sausage and a third group nitrite-containing sausage.

Reaching for the sausage is not without its health risks.

© George Mdivanian/Imago Images

Sodium nitrite is also popularly known as curing salt.

It is used to make meat products last longer.

It also gives the meat a reddish tint and a special aroma.

Study shows more colorectal cancer after sodium nitrite consumption

After the eight weeks, the scientists examined which group had the tumors that had spread the most.

So they wanted to find out whether red meat itself increases the risk of colon cancer, or whether it was due to the processing or even just a special ingredient.

Especially with nitrite-containing sausages, caution is called for because of the increased risk of colon cancer.

© Bernd Jürgens/Imago

The result: The mice that were given nitrite-containing sausage mixed into their feed had by far the strongest tumor growth.

They had 53 percent more colon tumors than the control group, which hadn't had any pork at all.

The number of tumors in the groups of mice that received pork and nitrite-free sausage was also slightly higher than in the control group, but much lower than in the group that received nitrite-containing sausage.

Cancer Risk Factors: Sodium nitrite not only in red meat

From this, the researchers deduce that the greatest risk of cancer for the intestines does not necessarily come from red or processed meat, but is mainly due to whether the food contains sodium nitrite.

A finding that, according to the scientists, should be taken into account in the official recommendations for nutrition.

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Knowledge of the health hazards of nitrite could be relevant to other foods as well.

Because nitrite is not only found in sausage products, but also in some types of vegetables.

Colon cancer caused by nitrite: Pay attention to variety in your diet

The Federal Office for Risk Assessment writes on its website that vegetables can also contain nitrite if they are stored or transported improperly or if the hygiene rules are not observed.

The following types of vegetables are particularly affected:

• arugula

• spinach

• Kohlrabi

• Beetroot

• radish

According to the office, however, consumers should under no circumstances reduce their vegetable consumption for this reason: "The advantages of a diet rich in vegetables outweigh the possible risks of slightly increased nitrate and nitrite levels." Instead, attention should be paid to a varied selection of vegetables.

(Jana Ballweber)