Jump to the recipe if you want to skip the introduction.

Introduction

Dear Reader,

Hello there. I hope you enjoyed a good week. I’m still euphoric from last weekend’s trip to Brisbane and time with my daughters and parents.

Returning to Canberra reminded me again how good Brisbane is.

What have I been reading?

I’ve been reading nutrition articles in my spare time.

I came across an excellent paper describing the nitrate–nitrite–nitric oxide (NO) pathway. Dietary nitrate has various beneficial vascular effects, including reducing blood pressure, inhibiting platelet aggregation, preserving or improving endothelial dysfunction, and enhancing exercise performance in healthy individuals and patients with peripheral arterial disease. (Lidder & Webb, 2013)

Some studies with nitrate or nitrite also show the potential to protect against ischæmia-reperfusion injury and reduce arterial stiffness, inflammation, and intimal thickness.

I was interested in the ramifications of blood pressure control and other potential physiological benefits.

It also raised a question about the difference between the nitrates in leafy green vegetables and those found in cured meats like bacon.

To answer the question, I visited three large language model artificial intelligence platforms, viz., Bing, ChatGPT, and Bard. Check out the answers at the end of this post.

Noting that the main difference is the pathways to either nitric oxide or nitrosamines, I wonder what the outcome would be if I ate bacon with antioxidants. That would be an interesting experiment.

What I find interesting is the assumption that observational studies, including meta-analyses and systematic reviews are accepted without question by so many. The difficulty is that unlike the situation with cigarette smoking and lung carcinoma where the association was strong with odds ratios >30, for the nitrates and gastrointestinal carcinoma, the odds ratios are much less and in the order of just over 1.

The absolute risk is low when you take into account that gastrointestinal carcinomas occur in people who have never consumed cured meats. That said, it would be unethical to undertake a randomised controlled trial exposing a group of people to a diet with a lot of cured meat in it. Cause and effect may never be proven.

For me, this tells me that bacon, Spam®, and cured sausages are not everyday foods, but when I put them into the context of low carbohydrate, healthy fat eating, these foods are not anathema. Nor are they forbidden to me. The danger from sucrose, refined carbohydrates, and even complex so-called slow carbs is far greater in terms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, and obesity. There is a growing belief that many malignant events are a result of insulin resistance.

Please note, reader, this is my personal opinion as it applies to my own health. I’m not providing advice to anyone. I get questions from friends and family, and I find writing out my thoughts here useful. The most important message for anyone reading this and thinking about their own health is to speak with their regular general practitioner. If you don’t have a GP, I urge you to find one and develop a strong relationship.

Recipe

Equipment

• Slow cooker

Ingredients

• Lamb bones
• Lamb shanks
• Iodised salt
• Iceberg lettuce

Instructions

1. Brown the lamb shanks and lamb bones in a hot oven.
2. Place the lamb shanks and lamb bones into the slow cooker.
3. Cook for 9 hours.
4. Remove the meat and bones and then pass the cooking liquor through a metal sieve. The filtrate is the start of what will become bone broth with a few more uses with other joints of meat.
5. Pull the meat from the bones and place into a refrigerator container. Discard the bones.
6. Wash the lettuce leaves and spin them in a lettuce spinner to remove as much water as possible.
7. Place some of the meat along with some olive oil and apple cider vinegar into a couple of lettuce leaves and roll them to form a bite-size bundles.
8. You can serve these bundles of meat with a anything you like. I chose a little salad of avocado, cherry tomatoes, and olives dressed with olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
9. Give thanks to the Lord.
10. Eat with your fingers.

Thoughts on the meal

There’s nothing special or difficult about this meal. It requires no skill and given most of the cooking happens slowly the big advantage is that my flat is filled with the aroma of lamb fat and lamb meat.

Photographs

References

Lidder, S., & Webb, A. J. (2013). Vascular effects of dietary nitrate (as found in green leafy vegetables and beetroot) via the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway: Vascular effects of dietary nitrate. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 75(3), 677–696. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04420.x

Bing

What is the difference between the nitrates in leafy green vegetables and those in cured meat like bacon?

Nitrates are a set of compounds that involve nitrogen and oxygen molecules. While they are often associated with cured meats, green, leafy vegetables are much richer in nitrates1. The nitrates found in vegetables may help reduce the risk of carcinoma, whereas eating foods high in added nitrates can cause health risks.

Cured or processed meats such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and ham often contain added nitrates and nitrites. These compounds prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, add a salty flavour, and make the meat appear red or pink2. Nitrates convert to nitrites, and in the stomach’s acidic environment, nitrites interact with specific components concentrated in meat to form N-nitroso compounds, which are potential carcinogens.

In summary, while the nitrates in leafy green vegetables may have health benefits, those in cured meats like bacon can have adverse health effects.

ChatGPT

What is the difference between the nitrates in leafy green vegetables and those in cured meat like bacon?

Both leafy green vegetables and cured meats like bacon contain nitrates, but there are essential differences in their sources, roles, and potential health implications:

Source and Chemical Structure:

Leafy Green Vegetables: Nitrates in vegetables come from the soil and water in which the plants are grown. They are naturally occurring and absorbed by the plants during their growth. Nitrates in vegetables are primarily in the form of nitrate ions (NO₃^–).

Cured Meats (Bacon): Nitrates in cured meats are additives, primarily in the form of sodium nitrate (NaNO₃) or sodium nitrite (NaNO₂). These additives are used in the curing process to preserve the meat’s colour and flavour and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria.

Conversion to Nitrites:

Leafy Green Vegetables: Vegetable-containing nitrates are converted into nitrites (NO₂^–) by bacteria in your mouth and gastrointestinal tract. These nitrites convert to beneficial compounds like nitric oxide (NO) in your body.

Cured Meats (Bacon): Nitrites are additives in cured meats. Nitrites play a crucial role in preserving the meat’s colour, flavour, and safety, as well as preventing the growth of harmful bacteria.

Health Implications:

Leafy Green Vegetables: Vegetable nitrates are generally considered beneficial for health. Nitric oxide, produced from the conversion of nitrates, promotes healthy blood vessels, regulates blood pressure, and supports overall cardiovascular health.

Cured Meats (Bacon): Concerns exist about the potential health risks of consuming large amounts of processed meats containing added nitrates and nitrites. High consumption of processed meats is associated with an increased risk of specific health issues, including colorectal carcinoma and other chronic diseases. The nitrites in cured meats can react with amines in the meat to form compounds called nitrosamines, some of which are considered carcinogenic.

Dietary Context:

Leafy Green Vegetables: Consuming a variety of leafy green vegetables is generally encouraged as part of a balanced diet due to their high nutritional content, including vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants.

Cured Meats (Bacon): Processed meats like bacon are typically higher in unhealthy fats, sodium, and calories and are often low in essential nutrients. As a result, consume processed meats in moderation and choose leaner and less processed protein sources.

In summary, while leafy green vegetables and cured meats contain nitrates, their potential health implications differ. Leafy greens provide natural sources of nitrates that can positively affect health, whereas the nitrates added to processed meats can raise concerns when consumed excessively.

Bard

What is the difference between the nitrates in leafy green vegetables and those in cured meat like bacon?

The nitrates found in leafy green vegetables and cured meat are chemically the same but have different effects on the body.

Nitrates in vegetables convert to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide has many beneficial effects, including lowering blood pressure, improving blood flow, and reducing inflammation.

Nitrates in cured meat convert to nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are compounds linked to carcinoma.

Nitrates in vegetables are not harmful because of accompanying antioxidants, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, which help prevent them from being converted into nitrosamines. Cured meat, on the other hand, does not contain these antioxidants, so nitrates are more likely to be converted into nitrosamines.

In addition, the processing methods used to make cured meat, such as smoking and salting, can also increase the risk of nitrosamine formation.

For these reasons, it is safe to eat leafy green vegetables, even though they contain nitrates. However, limiting your intake of cured meat is best, mainly processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, and sausages.

Here are some tips for reducing your intake of nitrates from cured meat:

• Choose fresh meat over processed meat.
• Look for meats labelled “no nitrates added” or “minimally processed.”
• Cook meat at lower temperatures and for shorter periods.
• Avoid smoking or salting meat.

Following these tips can reduce your risk of exposure to harmful nitrosamines.