SODIUM NITRITE PRESERVATIVE IN PROCESSED MEAT CAUSES BREAST CANCER - Processed meats like bacon, salami and sausage all increase breast cancer risk. A metanalysis of previous studies on the subject, published recently has confirmed that eating processed meat is associated with a 9 percent increase in the risk of developing this type of cancer. While there has been a lot of hype about the risks of eating red meat, this study found no connection between red meat consumption and increased breast cancer risk. The increased risk is specific to processed meats because of their high nitrite and nitrate content. The additives that take meat from healthy to dangerous are known as nitrites and nitrates. These chemicals are added to processed meats to preserve them, prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, add a salty flavor, and give their pink or red color. Though our bodies naturally contain these chemicals and they are present in certain vegetables, the problem comes in when they are exposed to heat in the presence of amino acids. When this happens, they turn into entirely different compounds, known as nitrosamines, which are potent cancer causers. Since processed meats are high in protein and a source of amino acids, adding nitrates or nitrites to them and then exposing them to heat provides a perfect environment for the production of these dangerous nitrosamines, and therefore dramatically increases cancer risk.

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Sodium nitrite preservative in processed meat causes breast cancer

By Tracey Watson

The jury is in and the verdict is final: Processed meats like bacon, salami and sausage all increase breast cancer risk.

A metanalysis of all 15 previously conducted studies on the subject, published recently in the International Journal of Cancer, has confirmed that eating processed meat is associated with a 9 percent increase in the risk of developing this type of cancer.

While there has been a lot of hype about the risks of eating red meat, this study found no connection between red meat consumption and increased breast cancer risk, confirming what Mike Adams, founder and editor of Natural News has been saying for 15 years.

The increased risk is specific to processed meats because of their high nitrite and nitrate content.

“When we look at all the evidence together there is an increased risk of breast cancer with diets high in processed meats,” Dr. Mariana Stern, lead author from the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, told CBS Miami.

What’s the problem with processed meat?

The additives that take meat from healthy to dangerous are known as nitrites and nitrates.

These chemicals are added to processed meats to preserve them, prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, add a salty flavor, and give cured meats their pink or red color.

Though our bodies naturally contain these chemicals and they are present in high amounts in certain vegetables, the problem comes in when they are exposed to heat in the presence of amino acids.

When this happens, they turn into entirely different compounds, known as nitrosamines, which are potent cancer causers.

Since processed meats are high in protein and therefore a source of amino acids, adding nitrates or nitrites to them and then exposing them to heat provides a perfect environment for the production of these dangerous nitrosamines, and therefore dramatically increases cancer risk.

Processed meats also increase risk of other cancers

Back in 2015, the World Health Organization classified processed meats as a group 1 carcinogen, meaning there is sufficient evidence to prove that they cause cancer.

The U.K.’s Guardian reported at the time:

Health scares are ten-a-penny, but this one was very hard to ignore. The WHO announcement came on advice from 22 cancer experts from 10 countries, who reviewed more than 400 studies on processed meat covering epidemiological data from hundreds of thousands of people.

It was now possible to say that “eat less processed meat,” much like “eat more vegetables,” had become one of the very few absolutely incontrovertible pieces of evidence-based diet advice – not simply another high-profile nutrition fad.

As every news report highlighted, processed meat was now in a group of 120 proven carcinogens, alongside alcohol, asbestos and tobacco – leading to a great many headlines blaring that bacon was as deadly as smoking.

Mike Adams warned back in 2004 that processed meats cause colorectal cancer, brain tumors and leukemia. And in 2005, he warned that they increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67 percent:

Consuming processed meats increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, says new research conducted at the University of Hawaii that followed nearly 200,000 men and women for seven years. According to lead study author Ute Nothlings, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products.

The evidence is clear: It’s time to eliminate all processed meats from our diets.

In fact, replacing all processed foods with fresh, unprocessed, organic fruits, veggies and meat is the healthiest choice we can all make for our future health.

Chemicals.News is a fact-based public education website published by Chemicals News Features, LLC.

https://www.chemicals.news/2018-10-16-sodium-nitrite-processed-meat-causes-breast-cancer.html

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND CANCER - Women and men on U.S. cabin crews have higher rates of many types of cancer, compared with the general population. This includes cancers of the breast, cervix, skin, thyroid and uterus, as well as gastrointestinal system cancers, which include colon, stomach, esophageal, liver and pancreatic cancers. One possible explanation for these increased rates is that flight attendants are exposed to a lot of known and potential carcinogens, or cancer-causing agents, within their work environment. One of those carcinogens is cosmic ionizing radiation, which is elevated at higher altitudes.

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Flight Attendants And Cancer

Why Cancer Rates Are Higher in Flight Attendants

By Cari Nierenberg 

This type of radiation is particularly damaging to DNA and is a known cause of breast cancer and nonmelanoma skin cancer, she said.

Air cabin crews receive the highest yearly dose of ionizing radiation on the job of all U.S. workers, she added.

In the new study, the researchers looked at data from more than 5,300 flight attendants from different airlines who completed an online survey as part of the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study.

The analysis looked at the cancer rates in these flight attendants compared to a group of about 2,700 people who had a similar income and educational status but were not flight attendants.

The researchers found that in female flight attendants, the rates of breast cancer were about 50 percent higher than in women from the general population.

In addition, melanoma rates were more than two times higher and nonmelanoma skin cancer rates were about four times higher in female flight attendants compared with women from the general population. (Nonmelanoma skin cancers include basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas.)

These elevated cancer rates were observed despite indications of good-health behaviors, such as low levels of smoking and obesity, in the flight-attendant group as a whole, the study authors said.

Cancer rates in male flight attendants were nearly 50 percent higher for melanoma and about 10 percent higher for nonmelanoma skin cancers compared with men from the general population group, according to the findings.

Risks of very frequent flying

The potential cancer risks for flight attendants are not limited to cosmic ionizing radiation.

Cabin crew members are also regularly exposed to more UV radiation than the general population, which can make these workers more vulnerable to skin cancers, Mordukhovich said.

In addition, some studies have found that circadian rhythm disruptions, such as jet lag, might be linked with an increased risk of cancer, she said.

These disruptions could lead to changes in immune function and cell metabolism, which can reduce the suppression of tumors.

Another possible threat to the health of cabin crew members is chemical exposure, according to the study.

The women and men who worked as flight attendants prior to 1988, when smoking was first banned on some U.S. flights, were routinely exposed to secondhand smoke while on board the aircraft. 

Other chemical contaminants found in the cabin may include engine leakages, pesticides and flame retardants, which contain compounds that may act as hormone disruptors and increase the risk of some cancers, Mordukhovich said.

Further complicating matters is that flight attendants in the U.S. don't have the same occupational protections as their counterparts in the European Union.

There, exposure levels to radiation as well as work schedules are routinely monitored and adjusted to make sure flight attendants don't exceed certain guidelines for carcinogen exposure, Mordukhovich said.

There has been only limited research on the health of flight attendants, but they may not be the only air travelers to experience higher rates of cancer.

The rates may also be higher for pilots and people who fly often as passengers, Mordukhovich said.

Studies of pilots have generally shown higher rates of skin and prostate cancers, she noted, adding that pilots also have been found to have circadian rhythm disruption, but these workers have somewhat more built-in protections around their scheduling and rest times than flight attendants do.

Although the cancer risks for frequent flyers have not yet been studied, there is no reason to suspect these people would not have similar risks as those faced by cabin crews, Mordukhovich said.

Some limitations of the study are that researchers were not able to take into consideration individual UV exposures, such as sunbathing habits or leisure-time activities, which could influence skin cancer risk.

In addition, cancer rates were self-reported by study participants, and these diagnoses were not confirmed by a check of their medical records by the researchers, according to the study.

Cari Nierenberg, Live Science Contributor

https://www.livescience.com/62913-cancer-risk-flight-attendants.html