Hot Dog Cancer Risks

Hot dogs have always been easy and delicious snacks, especially the way my father made them- cut up in Mac & Cheese. Generally, Americans eat a lot of hot dogs, especially on great holidays like 4^th of July when around 155 million wieners are consumed. And, in the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we eat around 7 billion hot dogs. Can you believe that?

Where’s the Problem in That?

A cancer research journal shared one USC epidemiologist report saying that kids consuming more than twelve hot dogs in a month period, increases the risk of children leukemia by 9 times. Other reports explain that pregnant women who consume at least 1 hot dog weekly, increase the risk of brain tumors in their babies by two times. The same things applies to fathers who consumed hot dogs before conception.

Nitrates in Hot Dogs

What's Wrong with This Food?

Hotdogs contain nitrite additives which form carcinogens. Hot dogs pose risk of developing leukemias (cancer in children), and last year this was proven by 3 different studies. Peters and a team of researchers analyzed the link between the intake of specific foods and the risk of leukemia in kids from birth to ten-year age between 1980 and 1987 in Los Angeles. The results showed that kids who were consuming more than twelve hot dogs monthly, have increased risk of childhood leukemia by 9 times. Another important conclusion was that the risk for childhood leukemia was also increased in kids whose fathers consumed more than twelve hot dogs monthly. Savitz and Sarusua are researchers who studied Denver cases of childhood cancer. They discovered that pregnant women who ate one or more hot dogs per week, have increased the risk of brain tumors to their kids by two times. This was also discovered by Bunin and his team of researchers. Also, kids whose weekly intake of hot dogs was more than one, had raised risk of brain cancer.

How Hot Dogs Cause Cancer

The nitrites in hot dogs, which are used as preservatives to prevent botulism, combine with the naturally present amines in meat during the cooking process, which ends up with formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. There’s also a risk of nitrites combining with amines in our stomach to create these N-nitroso compounds, which are associated with urinary bladder, oral cavity, stomach, esophagus, and brain (1).

Some Vegetables Also Contain Nitrites

Although many green veggies like celery, spinach, and lettuce contain nitrites, their consumption actually lowers the risk of cancer. How come? Besides these compounds, the green veggies also contain Vitamin C, and D, which actually prevent the formation of N-nitroso compounds. That’s why vegetables are healthy and safe, and lower the risk of cancer.

What Other Food Products Contain Nitrites?

All cured meats, such as fish and bacon.

Do All Hot Dogs Pose a Risk for Childhood Cancer?

Luckily, the answer is no. There are hot dogs which lack nitrites, and you will recognize them by their color which is brownish instead of reddish. Although less appealing than the red ones, they have the same taste. These nitrite-free hot dogs are completely safe when cooked.

4 Things You Can Do

1. Don’t consume hot dogs which contain the dangerous nitrites. Also, potential parents and kids shouldn’t eat more than twelve of them per month. 2. Request for nitrite-free hot dogs in your local supermarkets. 3. Find out if the kids are served hot dogs which contain nitrites in the school cafeteria. If they are, request for the safer alternative. 4. Express your concern about the lack of proper labeling of nitrite-hot dogs concerning the risk of cancer in children, and feel free to give a reference to the CPC's petition on hot dogs, docket #: 95P 0112/CP1. Click here for more information. Via Eat Local Grown