Hot dogs (and other meat that has been cured, such as bacon or salami) contain nitrates, which are added to the meat during the cooking process to prevent the growth of botulism and to help the hot dogs maintain a vibrant pinkish color (without the nitrates, the hot dogs would turn brown or gray — tantalizing, right?). Here’s the catch, though. In the human body, these nitrates form nitrosamines, which have been associated with various cancers.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), based in Washington, D.C., put up a billboard suggesting hot dogs cause cancer near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway reading: “Hot Dogs Can Wreck Your Health.” This messaging appeared next to an image of hot dogs in a cigarette pack along with a link to cancerproject.org, a website sponsored by PCRM.
“A hot dog a day could send you to an early grave,” says PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. “Processed meats like hot dogs can increase your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and various types of cancer. Like cigarettes, hot dogs should come with a warning label that helps racing fans and other consumers understand the health risk.”
This statement from PCRM might be extreme but there is real evidence that hot dogs aren’t entirely healthy. Several studies have found that processed meats can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Many processed meats contain sodium nitrate and this has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research has found that eating one hot dog a day raises the risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent.
Now are the PCRM biased?
In 2005, a study at the University of Hawaii linked consumption of processed meats to a 67 percent increase in the risk for pancreatic cancer. Yet another more recent study links eating too much processed meats to heart disease and diabetes. This study found that eating one serving a day of foods like bacon, hot dogs and salami was enough to greatly elevate your risk. Interestingly enough, the researchers did not find that eating unprocessed meat at the same rate led to nearly the same risk. What’s the difference in the meats that contain similar amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol? The processed meats had four times the amount of sodium and 50 percent more sodium nitrite.
Take this information and make a decision right for you. I think based on this information eating hot dogs on a regular basis is definitely a not a good idea. Next time you’re at the ballpark, take that $7 hot dog as a sign that cutting back may not be such a bad thing.
Have a Healthy and Successful Day!
