Why Eating More of This Meat Increases Your Risk for Serious Health Problems

Once inside the body, these compounds can form N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), several of which are carcinogenic in animal studies. Human research also links conditions that promote their formation to higher cancer risk.

The National Cancer Institute highlights this concern: “Studies have shown increased risks of colon, kidney, and stomach cancer among people with higher ingestion of water nitrate and higher meat intake compared with low intakes of both, a dietary pattern that results in increased NOC formation.”

Vegetables also contain nitrates, but they come packaged with vitamin C, fiber, and polyphenols that may limit harmful reactions. Processed meat combines curing agents with heme iron, high-temperature cooking, and low-fiber diets—factors that together create a different biological environment.