What if this is a factor in the obesity epidemic?

[hedgehog]

"They found strong parallels between age adjusted increases in death rate from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and diabetes and the progressive increases in human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines through processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers. Other diseases including HIV-AIDS, cerebrovascular disease, and leukemia did not exhibit those trends. De la Monte and the authors propose that the increase in exposure plays a critical role in the cause, development and effects of the pandemic of these insulin-resistant diseases."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156507.php

[aquart]

1. No more bacon?

[hedgehog]

3. I'm not sure if it really makes a difference what you eat. The real

problem may be unavoidable nitrates and nitrites in the environment. It used to be that in Columbus there would be a warning every Spring for elderly people and babies to avoid drinking city water because of the nitrogen run-off from farms.

[aquart]

17. Yikes.

No such thing as a nitrogen filter?

[Mind_your_head]

7. Hormel makes "Natural Choice" products (including Bacon) w/o nitrates or Nitrites

[Arugula Latte]

10. This is another down side to bacon:

Is bacon worth this to you?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MIwDKydCKgY/RbjNr3txicI/AAAAAAAAAAU/2eC622K7WXI/s320/four+images+of+pig+farming.jpg

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but the reality that people turn away from is that these very intelligent animals live lives of pure horror and unimaginable torture so Americans can have their breakfast strips.

[Kalyke]

12. Thank God I'm allergic to pork.

As a matter of fact, I was ill this morning because the eggs we had at a restaurant more-than-likely were fried in pork grease. Ugh...

[left is right]

16. I am a sucker for bacon

wave a strip of bacon under my nose and I will jump in your lap and lick your face

[imdjh]

2. I'm screwed then.

When I was in my twenties and slender, I was chowing down on some serious bacon, sausage, Chinese food, etc...

[FarCenter]

4. No more corned beef or salami sandwiches

Nitrates have been used to preserve food for years.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. Could Be. However...

During the past 30 years, life expectancy has increased by 10 years, and is still rocketing skyward at 4 months per year. Might nitrates et al be responsible for this miraculous (and yet-unexplained) increase in life span? Also, people get a LOT less Vitamin D than they used to. Perhaps that's causing the problem.

A number of years ago, I read that undertakers say that bodies of old people these days are in much better shape then they used to be - internal organs are well preserved. Could preservatives be preserving us?

Tough stuff to figure out.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Well, I do know that drinking "diet" soda pop

actually can make you gain weight--or so says my doctor, who also discourages people from ingesting aspertame in any form.

[BadgerKid]

8. There's sodium in diet pop usually.

<yoda>Make you retain water, it will.</yoda>

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. yep, and according to Doc,

actually makes you want to eat more, not less, thus gaining weight that way.

Oh, and having spent a lovely early morning in the ER with my Pepsi One-slugging husband as a kidney stone passed, I would add--soda pop has phosphoric acid, which can cause kidney stones.

[lolly]

11. That's exactly what it did to me

I used to drink diet coke--I finally noticed that about 20 mins after finishing one, I would CRAVE sugar like nobody's business. I'd eat cupcakes, jelly donuts, whatever I could get.

I heard a theory that when you taste something sweet, your brain thinks it's had something sweet, and releases insulin to digest it--then your blood sugar gets low, and you suddenly need sugar to bring it back up.

Don't know if it's true, but that would certainly explain my experience with diet soda.

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. Which is why I never use 'diet' anything, and avoid all artificial sweeteners.

I stick with just plain sugar, at half (or less) the recipe amounts. If something calls for a cup of sugar, I use a half cup, and can't tell the difference.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. I think you may be right

I have glycemic issues, so I take Chromate every day. Chromium stablizes blood sugar. BTW, the only sweetener I've found that works for me is stevia.

[Gabi Hayes]

15. could this have something to do with it?