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Parents always want to protect their children from danger, but sometimes they end up sacrificing comfort for health. Many people are so used to certain eating routines that they don’t even realize how their behavior can endanger not only themselves, but also their children. One of the most popular foods here is sausages, which hide a very serious health risk.
What studies revealed about sausage consumption
Studies found that children who eat more than 12 sausages a month have a 9 times higher risk of developing childhood leukemia .
And that’s not all
Another study found that children who consumed sausages once or more per week also had a higher risk of developing brain cancer. The study examined the relationship between consumption of certain foods and the risk of leukemia in children from birth to 10 years of age in one county of the Los Angeles metropolitan area between 1980 and 1987. It concluded that there is a strong association between childhood leukemia and children whose fathers ate 12 or more sausages per month even before conception. This demonstrates how parents’ eating habits during and even before conception have a great impact on their children’s health.
Researchers Sarusuza and Savitz studied the incidence of childhood leukemia in Denver, USA. They revealed that children born to mothers who consumed sausages one or more times per week during pregnancy had up to a 2-fold increased risk of developing brain tumors .
What causes sausages to be harmful?
It is assumed that the cause of the mentioned risks of possible health problems is the nitrate content in sausages.
Processed meat products often contain sodium (salt), nitrates, phosphates and other food additives.
“Additionally, smoked meat also contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which contribute to an increased risk of heart failure” , explains Alicja Wol, DMSc. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, nitrates act as preservatives that prevent meat from spoiling and also give the meat a better color. Nitrates and nitrites themselves do not cause cancer, but under certain circumstances they can be converted in the body into other compounds such as nitrosamines and nitrosamides . These substances have already been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
Vitamin C is also added to some meat products, which also has preservative effects. However, it prevents the conversion of nitrates into nitrosamines in the body. Therefore, if you or your children consume these meat products and they do not contain vitamin C, you can additionally give it in tablet form. At least partially, this will reduce the risk of developing cancer.
How to avoid foods containing nitrates?
1. Limit consumption of processed foods and meats such as hot dogs, salamis, sausages and similar products.
2. Check the ingredient list on product packaging to see whether they contain nitrogen compounds of sodium or potassium (nitrogenous salts). Besides meat, some other canned foods may also contain them.
3. Prefer organic foods, in which the use of the mentioned preservatives is not allowed.
4. Test your tap water. Water utilities monitor the presence of these compounds in water and should publish the measured values. Call them and ask about it. Alternatively, have your water tested in a laboratory. If it contains high concentrations of nitrates, use water filters (distillation, reverse osmosis and ion-exchange filters).
5. Eat a diet rich in antioxidants. The mentioned vitamin C and some other vitamins can reduce the conversion of nitrates and nitrites into nitrosamines.
