Vitamin Information Center

A few weeks back, I received a call from a hopeful patient asking for confirmation of a nightly news story – one claiming that bacon might be good for the heart because of the nitrite and nitrate it contains.

Sounds surprising? After all, cured meats are often shunned over concerns that nitrite and nitrate, added to retain color and inhibit the growth of the bacteria that cause botulism, may form potentially carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines.

The story stemmed from a report published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston studied mice consuming either a nitrate/nitrite-deficient diet or one high in nitrate and nitrite to study effects on the heart after a simulated heart attack. (A third group of mice consumed a regular diet as a control.)

The mice receiving extra nitrate and nitrite in their drinking water had 48% less heart cell death than mice on the regular diet, while mice fed the low nitrate/nitrite diet had 59% greater injury than the controls And 77% of the animals receiving extra nitrate/nitrite survived the heart attack, compared with 58% that were nitrate/nitrite-deficient.

The researchers proposed that the benefit from the enriched water might be the stimulation of nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide, produced in cells lining the surface of the blood vessels, is a gas that dilates arteries, thus aiding blood flow and reducing blood pressure. When inadequate nitric oxide is available, the risk rises for heart disease and stroke.

Nitric oxide is generated from oxygen and an amino acid, arginine, but can also be produced from dietary nitrate by other pathways. Unbeknownst to most people, the majority of the nitrate we consume – between 70% and 85% – comes from vegetables and fruits, the richest sources being spinach, lettuce, celery, cauliflower, grapes, strawberries and root vegetables. (Vegetarians may consume up to 10 times the nitrate levels that omnivores do.)

Only about 5% of the nitrate we eat comes from bacon, ham and other cured meats. The rest comes from nitrate naturally present in drinking water.

Once nitrate is absorbed by the small intestine, as much as 25% is taken up from the bloodstream by the salivary glands, where it is concentrated tenfold to twentyfold. Bacteria in the mouth then convert the nitrate to nitrite, and further enzymatic activity in blood and tissues leads to the production of nitric oxide.

Although nitrate and nitrite are not carcinogenic – in fruits and vegetables, in fact, they act as antioxidants – during digestion or cooking, nitrite can combine with naturally occurring amines in foods, forming nitrosamines. Some nitrosamines have been shown to be carcinogenic when administered to animals.

But it’s unclear, given the nitrate content of the typical human diet, if nitrosamines can be formed in the stomach in large enough doses to induce cancer. In fact, there is some compelling evidence that this is unlikely: Studies of human populations indicate that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables protects against several forms of cancer, particularly gastric cancer.

From an evolutionary standpoint, it doesn’t seem plausible that Mother Nature would have purposely allowed secretion of concentrated nitrate in the mouth if it were harmful to us. But that doesn’t mean that bacon is the new health food.

Even if cured meats might add a bit of nitrate or nitrite to our day’s intake, there is often a fair amount of fat and sodium tagging along.

What’s more, fruits and vegetables are naturally rich in vitamin C, which inhibits nitrosamine formation as well as enhances the generation of nitric oxide from nitrite.

I am sure my patient was disappointed, but I told him that we were designed to consume our nitrate in more natural ways – packaged with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals in a multitude of healthful vegetables and fruits.

–

Susan Bowerman is a registered dietitian and assistant director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.

With the growing awareness of the importance of healthy food, many people are also becoming vegetarian because it matches the kind of low fat, high fiber diet recommended by dieticians and doctors. Concern about the environment is another factor as people become more aware of the effect raising animals for their meat is having on the environment. Or you may be concerned about wasting world food resources by using land to raise animals for meat instead of growing crops that can feed more people directly.

Animals need far more water than grain crops. According to the USDA, growing the crops necessary to feed farmed animals requires nearly half of the United States’ water supply and 80% of its agricultural land. Additionally, animals raised for food in the U.S. consume 90% of the soya crop, 80% of the corn crop, and a total of 70% of its grain.

One acre of pasture produces an average of 165 pounds of beef; the same acre can produce 20,000 pounds of potatoes.

Vegetarian diets have been found to satisfy the nutritional needs for all stages of life, and large-scale studies have shown vegetarianism to increase longevity, improve health, and significantly lower the risks of many diseases.

Studies show that vegetarian diets help to keep body weight under control and reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoperosis and many cancers - particularly lung cancer and colon cancer. Vegetarians tend to have lower levels of cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and less incidence of dementias such as Alzheimer’s. Vegetarian diets that are low in saturated fats have been successfully used to reverse severe coronary artery disease.

It was once widely believed that vegetarians had to carefully combine plant protein sources in each meal in order to obtain all the essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids needed to stay healthy. However, scientific studies have shown that the human body can store essential amino acids and combine them as necessary. So, while combining beans and rice, or peanut butter and bread produces a complete protein, it’s not necessary to consciously do this at every meal. If you eat a varied diet and adequate calories, combining proteins is not an issue.

Vegetarian diets are lower in saturated fats, cholesterol, and animal protein. They’re also high in folate, anti-oxidant vitamins like C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals.

Some famous vegetarians are Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton and Thomas Edison. Famous modern day vegetarians include Bryan Adams, Alicia Silverstone, Liv Tyler, Jerry Seinfeld, Kim Basinger, and Paul McCartney.

If you are new to vegetarianism, The Higher Taste by Srila Prabhupada is a great beginners booklet. Not only does it explain vegetarianism clearly but it also gives some delicious easy to follow recipes.

There are many vegetarian websites today that provide many delicious recipes. There are a large variety of vegetarian recipes available from Italian and Greek cuisine to Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese cuisine.

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Vitamin B12 In The Body

Vitamin B12 (also referred to as Cobalamin) is vitally important in maintaining several processes of your body. It is an important water soluble vitamin, and accumulates in your kidneys, liver, and other body tissues, unlike other water soluble vitamins which are excreted quickly in the urine. As is the case, a deficiency of vitamin B12 may not even become noticeable until after several years of a diet lacking adequate amounts. B12 works with folic acid in the synthesis of DNA and red blood cells, it is vastly important in maintaining the myelin sheath (the insulation sheath that covers nerve cells). It also helps to convert carbohydrates, fats and proteins from food into energy. In keeping your red blood cells healthy, you are also helping to prevent heart disease. It has also been shown to keep your immune system healthy as well.
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Vegetarian bodybuiling is not as difficult as millions of people tend to assume it is. In fact, it may well be easier for a vegetarian to remain committed to bodybuilding, as a real vegetarian diet takes a great deal of focus and disciple to stick to. The same applies to bodybuilding or any for of exercise regime. This will of course assist you when undertaking a workout in the gym. Continue Reading…