Environmental Factor May Be Key to Diabetes Development: A study funded by the National Institutes of Health indicates a specific type of food processing may hold the key to the development of many diseases including Type 2 diabetes.
ScienceDaily.com reports that researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have concluded that there is a, “Substantial link between increased levels of nitrates in our environment and food with increased deaths from diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s.”
Dr. Suzanne de la Monte was the lead researcher on this study and says, “We have become a ‘nitrosamine generation.’ In essence, we have moved to a diet that is rich in amines and nitrates, which lead to increased nitrosamine production. We receive increased exposure through the abundant use of nitrate-containing fertilizers for agriculture. Not only do we consume them in processed foods, but they get into our food supply by leeching from the soil and contaminating water supplies used for crop irrigation, food processing and drinking.”
Cured meats such as bacon, hot dogs and some lunchmeats are often rich in nitrates. Because of crop growth techniques even green beans, carrots and spinach may contain high levels of nitrates. Bottled water may be a safe alternative to a water supply if nitrate levels in the water supply are deemed to be high due to fertilizer and pesticide use.
ScienceDaily.com explains, “Nitrosamines are formed by a chemical reaction between nitrites or other proteins. Sodium nitrite is deliberately added to meat and fish to prevent toxin production; it is also used to preserve, color and flavor meats. Ground beef, cured meats and bacon in particular contain abundant amounts of amines due to their high protein content. Because of the significant levels of added nitrates and nitrites, nitrosamines are nearly always detectable in these foods. Nitrosamines are also easily generated under strong acid conditions, such as in the stomach, or at high temperatures associated with frying or flame broiling. Reducing sodium nitrite content reduces nitrosamine formation in foods.”
If you think it strange that diseases like Parkinson’s Alzheimer’s and diabetes seem so prevalent today it may be because they are. In 1950 many of these diseases were either not widespread or non-existent. The rapid growth of these and other diseases seems to have a cause that falls outside the realm of genetics causation.
Dr. Suzanne de la Monte indicates, “Because of the similar trending in nearly all age groups within each disease category, this indicates that these overall trends are not due to an aging population. This relatively short time interval for such dramatic increases in death rates associated with these diseases is more consistent with exposure-related causes rather than genetic changes. Moreover, the strikingly higher and climbing mortality rates in older age brackets suggest that aging and/or longer durations of exposure have greater impacts on progression and severity of these diseases.”
One fact that may have been overlooked by many was published in ScienceDaily.com and is part of a larger report in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, “The findings indicate that while nitrogen-containing fertilizer consumption increased by 230 percent between 1955 and 2005, its usage doubled between 1960 and 1980, which just precedes the insulin-resistant epidemics the researchers found. They also found that sales from the fast food chain and the meat processing company increased more than 8-fold from 1970 to 2005, and grain consumption increased 5-fold.”
De la Monte concluded, “If this hypothesis is correct, potential solutions include eliminating the use of nitrites and nitrates in food processing, preservation and agriculture; taking steps to prevent the formation of nitrosamines and employing safe and effective measures to detoxify food and water before human consumption.”
