With each passing day, it is extremely important to be aware of the foods that are eaten. Recently, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) published a study realizing that there are carcinogenic chemical compounds in food foods. It was alerted and confirmed that this situation poses a lot of dangers to the population. See below for more details on this topic.
Care is needed in choosing food.
The study was conducted in the European Union and states that 10 types of nitrosamines that are considered carcinogenic were found in some foods, that is, factors that increase the risk of cancer. In addition, nitrosamines have also been found to be genotoxic, and they can cause some DNA damage.
The researchers said that exposure to nitrosamines is a problem for all age groups. In the case of animals, the most significant effect is hepatocellular (in the liver) tumors.
Did the study serve only in the European continent?
Although the research was conducted in the European Union, the agency warned the general public should be aware, as nitrosamines have been found in common foods such as salami, ham, processed fish, cocoa, beer and other alcoholic beverages.
The food group most affected by exposure is meat and its derivatives, but the EFSA says that in other foods, such as processed vegetables, grains, milk and dairy products, it is also possible to find nitrosamines.
After all, what are nitrosamines?
They are molecules that can be created from chemical reactions involving amines and nitrites. It is even widely used to preserve food, especially meat. This transformation can happen during food processing or in the stomach as well.
In a study of rats, some were fed processed pork containing 15% nitrite and the rest a version without the compound. The animals in the first group developed 70 percent more cancer in the intestine than those that didn’t take the nitrites.
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