Nitrates and nitrites preserve color, enhance flavor and protect against bacterial growth. In the body, nitrates can be converted to nitrosamines. Nitrosamines have been shown to cause cancer in animals. The studies on animals used levels of nitrates higher than put into foods -- levels that you will probably never reach by eating deli meat. I think of studies using animals as this: the animal is so much smaller than us, and the researchers are using extreme amounts of the chemical, ones that would be hard to reach with moderate consumption. I also believe that most chemicals consumed in extremely high amounts will cause some kind of adverse reaction in the animal.

There has not been conclusive evidence linking nitrosamine formation in humans to cancer. So, if you are concerned, avoid deli meats. If not, then eat them in moderation. Keep this in mind, too: A smoker gets 100 times the amount of nitrosamine related compounds in cigarettes. Don't smoke? Well, there are also even more nitrosamine-related compounds in new cars and cosmetics! We all have potential for cancer in our bodies. How we care for ourselves, through proper nutrition and exercise, is what helps prevent cancer from growing.

So, just because you avoid deli meat doesn't mean you aren't being exposed to something harmful in the air, or in the make-up you use. It is how you treat yourself that will ultimately determine how healthy you will be!

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